George Latimer defeats House ‘squad’ member Jamaal Bowman in historic New York Democratic primary

CNN —

New York Rep. Jamaal Bowman lost his Democratic primary to Westchester County Executive George Latimer, marking the first defeat for a member of the House “Squad” of progressive lawmakers.

The result in New York’s 16th Congressional District is also a victory for pro-Israel groups, which backed Latimer with historic levels of spending during the campaign. According to ad tracking firm AdImpact, the race was the most expensive House primary on record.

Bowman, 48, a former middle school principal in the Bronx, was first elected in 2020 after unseating longtime Democratic Rep. Eliot Engel, a pro-Israel hawk, in the primary. That race, much like this one, centered on accusations that the incumbent had lost touch with the diverse, but heavily segregated district, which spans parts of Bronx and Westchester counties.

Latimer, 70, a Democratic political fixture for decades who entered the race at the urging of pro-Israel groups, argued that Bowman’s vocal opposition to Israel’s war in Gaza and his combative political style were out of step with the electorate, which includes a significant Jewish population in Westchester.

CNN " data-fave-thumbnails="{"big": { "uri": "https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/20240625-george-latimer-jamaal-bowman-split-062524.jpg?c=16x9&q=h_540,w_960,c_fill" }, "small": { "uri": "https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/20240625-george-latimer-jamaal-bowman-split-062524.jpg?c=16x9&q=h_540,w_960,c_fill" } }" data-vr-video="false" data-show-html="" data-byline-html=" By Jackie Castillo, CNN " data-check-event-based-preview="" data-is-vertical-video-embed="false" data-network-id="" data-publish-date="2024-06-26T12:27:53.824Z" data-video-section="politics"