In his victory speech, Latimer stressed unity, telling supporters “we cannot allow this country to be divided.”
“I’m going to do what I can to bring about a positive outcome,” he said. “I’ve never looked at an election as a blank check from you to me. It’s a promissory note from me to you.”
Latimer enjoys the benefits of incumbency, decades of involvement in local politics and deep roots in the community. He was also helped by the large amount of money he spent in his campaign against Bowman, much of it from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee super PAC, which aims to unseat lawmakers it sees as unsupportive of Israel. Outside funding for the race has totaled nearly $25 million.
Bowman and his supporters have slammed the money special interests have spent to oust Bowman, accusing Latimer and his supporters of targeting outspoken black lawmakers and accusing them of heavy spending as a threat to democracy. Bowman also criticized Latimer’s support for wealthy voters in Westchester County, which makes up the majority of the 16th Congressional District, and said Latimer fails to understand the needs of poor voters in and around the Bronx, a majority-black district in New York City, where Bowman served as a middle school principal before running for office.
Speaking to supporters after his loss, Bowman said they should be “outraged” that super PACs can spend millions of dollars to “brainwash people.”
Bowman is the first incumbent to lose a primary to a non-incumbent this year. His loss is a major blow to the most liberal wing of the House Democratic caucus, which has grown in strength in recent years. The fierce primary election rekindled old divisions between the party’s mainstream and far-left wing, with Hillary Clinton endorsing Latimer and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) endorsing Bowman. It also raised questions about age and race: Latimer is a 70-year-old white man and Bowman is a 48-year-old black man. It also exposed deep ideological rifts within the party, especially over the Middle East war.
The candidates’ conflicting responses to the Oct. 7 Hamas-led attack on Israel and Israel’s military retaliation in Gaza became a central theme of the campaign. Bowman, a long-time critic of Israel’s treatment of Palestinians, drew the ire of some Jewish voters when he called for a ceasefire immediately after the Oct. 7 massacre and accused Israel of genocide. Bowman voiced his support for Israel a few weeks later and was one of only nine Democrats to vote against a resolution condemning Hamas, which he said made no mention of the suffering of Palestinians.
Westchester County is one of the nation’s largest It has the densest Jewish population in the state. Local and national pro-Israel groups urged Latimer to challenge Bowman. Latimer said he had been considering running before Oct. 7, but that Bowman’s response to the attack and Latimer’s visit to Israel in November solidified his decision to run.
AIPAC’s super PAC, the United Democracy Project, has spent more than $14 million on ads in the race, including one pro-Latimer and three anti-Bowman ads, which UDP spokesman Patrick Doughton said was the largest amount ever spent on a single race. None of the ads mentioned Israel and instead focused on Bowman’s legislative record.
Bowman’s critics say his actions in Congress ultimately caused him to lose his seat. Bowman set off a fire alarm in a congressional office building last year, forcing an evacuation. He pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor, and the House formally censured him. Latimer has attacked Bowman as a show-off who is more interested in making a national name for himself as a far-left wing than in his own district. He has often pointed to Bowman’s vote against the infrastructure bill, one of President Biden’s greatest legislative achievements. Bowman has said he voted against it because it did not include liberal social spending priorities, such as increased funding for child care.
During the campaign, Bowman expressed frustration that his work on issues such as curbing gun violence received little attention, and his fiery rhetoric often made headlines. At Saturday’s rally, he railed against AIPAC, yelling, “We’re going to show the AIPAC motherfuckers the power of the motherfucker South Bronx” (which is not his district).
Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-NY), who represents the South Bronx, slammed Bowman’s foul language as an “outrageous and outrageous tirade” and wrote in The New York Times that it was “unbecoming of a member of Congress.”
The bitter showdown has grown more nasty in the final weeks. Bowman has denounced some of Latimer’s comments as racist after Latimer suggested Bowman was “ethnicly vested” in a district that is nearly half black and half Hispanic, and noted Bowman represents a majority-Muslim district in Dearborn, Michigan. Bowman and his allies have attacked Latimer as being backed by MAGA Republicans, since many AIPAC donors also give to Republican candidates and causes. Latimer has also benefited from efforts by local groups to convince Republicans and independents to register as Democrats and vote for him in the primary.
When Mr. Bowman defeated incumbent Rep. Eliot L. Engel in 2020, his district covered much of the Bronx and was a majority-minority district. After the racial justice protests over the killing of George Floyd that summer, Mr. Bowman pitched himself as a candidate better suited to the district’s needs. But when congressional maps were redrawn ahead of the 2022 elections, the district became more suburban, stretching deeper into Westchester County and losing parts of the Bronx. Mr. Bowman found himself farther left than his own, more centrist district.
Latimer’s supporters say her advantage in this election comes from relationships she has built in the community over the years. She has won the support of African-American leaders throughout her long political career and was backed in the last election by the Working Families Party, which endorsed Bowman this time. Neighbors know her from the boxes of cookies she brings with her when she visits senior centers and friendly knitting groups.
“If you win, it’s a win. [of] “Grassroots politics teaches you to work in your district, know your district and serve the needs of your district. George did that, and Jamal didn’t do that enough,” Mr. Latimer said in an interview last week. “That’s why George is going to Washington.”
Dylan Wells contributed to this report.
