In Tuesday’s primary election in the 16th Congressional District of New York, the Westchester County executive, George Latimer, is running against Representative Jamaal Bowman, a member of the House’s progressive “Squad.” The chatter has been all about campaign gaffes and fund-raising. But in this case, it should be about the merits of the candidates.
We’ve heard plenty about the outsize funding for Latimer, particularly from AIPAC, the pro-Israel lobbying group. The question said aloud by Bowman supporters has been, “Why so much money from a foreign government for a local congressional candidate?” The unspoken question has been, “Why are the Jews funding this candidate?”
We’ve also heard Bowman ridiculed for holding a rally in the South Bronx, which he does not represent. Onstage, Bowman proudly cursed in a manner unbecoming to a public official. There’s also his schoolyard prank in the halls of Congress, pulling a fire alarm to stall a bill and then lying about it.
But let’s put aside money and manners. Let’s even put aside the war in Gaza, an issue on which the candidates strongly differ. (Latimer offers a centrist view broadly supportive of President Biden’s policy, while Bowman has taken a forceful pro-Palestinian stance.)
This election is about substantive issues relevant to the 16th District, which has been redrawn twice since Bowman’s 2020 win to include less of the Bronx and more of Westchester County. Bowman, elected to a largely different district, no longer represents the interests of his constituency.
He voted against Biden’s infrastructure bill, one of the administration’s key bipartisan successes and fundamental to Biden’s re-election, which hinges on independents and the center. By contrast, Latimer has shown himself successful in helping turn a largely Republican district blue and is supportive of abortion rights, gun control and other domestic issues aligned with his district.
This election is also about the future of the Democratic Party, pitting a centrist vision of the party, the growing resonance of which was recently demonstrated by the election of Tom Suozzi in Nassau County, against its progressive fringe. Notably, Hillary Clinton, a Westchester resident and moderate Democrat, has endorsed Latimer. This week, Representative Josh Gottheimer, a co-chair of the centrist Problem Solvers Caucus, also endorsed Latimer.
Bowman has proved himself out of sync with his district, and his re-election would take the Democratic Party in a losing direction. Equally important, based on his record, Jamaal Bowman does not deserve re-election.
