‘Squad’ Member Who Pulled Capitol Fire Alarm Loses To Primary Challenger
Democratic Rep. Jamaal Bowman lost his primary bid in New York’s 16th Congressional District on Tuesday against Westchester County Executive George Latimer, according to The Associated Press. Bowman, who has served in…
Democratic Rep. Jamaal Bowman lost his primary bid in New York’s 16th Congressional District on Tuesday against Westchester County Executive George Latimer, according to The Associated Press.
Bowman, who has served in Congress since 2021, lost to Latimer, who has received support from The American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), the AP projected. After many scandals and controversies, Bowman is the first member of the progressive “squad” to have been successfully toppled by a moderate challenger.
“Jamaal Bowman ain’t going nowhere” Bowman told a crowd of supporters following his defeat on Tuesday, according to The New York Times. “Let’s start winning big.”
“You do not need a campaign ad to tell you who George Latimer is; you have seen who I am,” Latimer said in his victory speech on Tuesday, The New York Times reported. “I have never seen an election as a blank check. It is a promissory note from me to you.”
Bowman’s loss came after multiple scandals and dismal poll
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numbers that put the incumbent at a 17 point disadvantage to Latimer, according to a recent Emerson College Polling/PIX11/The Hill
. “There’s still no evidence of beheaded babies or raped women. But they still keep using that for propaganda.” He later walked back these comments and
At a rally on Saturday, Bowman continued his criticisms of Israeli lobbyists, shouting, “We are gonna fucking show AIPAC the power of the mother fucking South Bronx.” Bowman’s rally was held in the southern Bronx, but it is notably not part of his district.
Latimer, however, has supported Israel in its ongoing war agains Hamas, and has also accepted millions in campaign donations from AIPAC.
AIPAC funneled nearly $15million against Bowman through one of its affiliate organizations, the United Democracy Project, according to The New York Times. Bowman’s race has since become the most expensive House primary race in history, with a price tag of roughly $25 million, according to Punchbowl News.
Bowman’s reelection effort has also been spent campaigning with Democratic allies Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York. During a rally with Ocasio-Cortez, Bowman yelled “Ceasefire now, let’s get it poppin’,” and said his race is about “the many versus the money.”
“We’re gonna win, we’re gonna take on AIPAC, and we’re gonna kick some Wall Street ass,” Ocasio-Cortez said in the rally video.
Bowman was embroiled in a scandal after he pulled a fire alarm in the Cannon House Office Building during a House vote on a GOP spending package on Sept. 30, 2023. Security footage showed Bowman taking signs off of the door and pulling the fire alarm without first attempting to open the doors.
Bowman initially denied intentionally pulling the alarm, saying he mistakenly pulled the alarm thinking it would open the locked doors.
“Today, as I was rushing to make a vote, I came to a door that is usually open for votes but today would not open,” Bowman said in a statement on Sept. 30. “I am embarrassed to admit that I activated the fire alarm, mistakenly thinking it would open the door. I regret this and sincerely apologize for any confusion this caused. But I want to be very clear, this was not me, in any way, trying to delay any vote.”
Following the incident, Bowman pled guilty and was charged with a misdemeanor. He was later censured by the House. Democratic Reps. and “squad” members Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar of Minnesota and Rashida Tlaib of Michigan voted against his censure in December 2023.
Missouri Democratic Rep. and “squad” member Cori Bush is also facing a tough primary challenge in August due in part to her anti-Israel stances, with AIPAC spending at least $1.5 million against her to date, according to The New York Times. Bush is trailing by 22 points in a three-way race with challengers Wesley Bell and Missouri state Sen. Maria Chapelle-Nadal, according to a Remington Research Group poll in February.
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