Like several other Hamas Caucus members, Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-NY) has had a primary target on his back thanks in no small part to his position on the Israel-Hamas war, where he has demanded a ceasefire, claimed — without evidence — that Israel is committing genocide, and was also exposed as a Hamas rape denier.
In the first primary battle involving the so-called “Squad” of anti-Israel Democratic Socialists in Congress, Rep. Summer Lee (D-PA) survived against her center-left challenger, winning handily in April while vowing during her victory speech to help other Squad members like Bowman and Rep. Cori Bush (D-MO) cross the finish line.
Unlike in Lee’s case, Bowman’s polling numbers against his primary opponent, Westchester County Executive George Latimer, have on balance not been good. The most recent poll taken ahead of the early voting period, which started Saturday, showed Latimer with a comfortable lead, though many are undecided according to the poll:
A survey by Emerson College Polling/PIX11/The Hill released Tuesday found Latimer leading Bowman in the primary for New York’s 16th Congressional District with 48 percent support to 31 percent, with 21 percent of respondents undecided.The poll found that 51 percent of respondents have a favorable view of Bowman, compared to 43 percent who have an unfavorable view of the House Democrat. In comparison, 65 percent said they have a favorable view of Latimer, while 23 percent had an unfavorable view of the county executive.
Not helping matters for the bombastic Bowman in advance of the June 25th primary was the confirmation earlier this month that he is a rather two-faced individual who will say whatever it takes to stay in the good graces of his fellow socialists:
The two-term incumbent also has never publicly stated that he supports the controversial Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement, which pro-Israel activists claim is antisemitic by trying to economically harm the Jewish state to advance the interests of Palestinians.Yet during the DSA endorsement interview, Bowman said he “personally” backs the BDS movement but just has not gone public with his support because of the “large Jewish population, large Zionist population, large pro-Israel population, large AIPAC population” in his 16th Congressional district.The pol, whose district covers most of Westchester County and the north Bronx, indicated he wants to go public “at some point” to stimulate discussion to further “peace and justice and safety and humanity for all people.”“BDS is a nonviolent protest opportunity to hold Israel accountable,” Bowman said during the interview, the Times reported.[…]Bowman also said he now opposes Iron Dome defense funding for Israel, which he previously voted for.
Over the last two weeks, Latimer has won the endorsements of twice-failed Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton and former New York Congressman Mondaire Jones:
“I’m making this endorsement to stand up for my Jewish constituents, because Representative Bowman and I have very different views on Israel,” said Jones, who is trying to regain a seat in Congress after he lost his old district in a redrawing of congressional boundary lines. “It is really clear that Mr. Bowman is focused on doing his thing and, I would submit, not enough on how it is impacting the environment here in the Hudson Valley.”
Meanwhile, Bowman, who predictably has trotted out the race card against Latimer and who has accused him of being bought and paid for by AIPAC, has Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) in his corner. They’ll be headlining a rally for Bowman next Saturday:
From the looks of things, it may be that the fire alarm Bowman will be sounding this time around will be his own.
— Stacey Matthews has also written under the pseudonym “Sister Toldjah” and can be reached via Twitter. —
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