'Squad' member, Israel critic Jamaal Bowman ousted in primary; Boebert renominated
Tuesday's primary elections for seats in the U.S. House of Representatives yielded mixed results for two members on polar opposite sides of the political spectrum, with voters ousting a "Squad" member and Israel critic in New York while renominating controversial Republican Rep. Lauren Boebert in Colorado.
Unofficial results from Tuesday night's Democrat primaries show that Westchester County Executive George Latimer has defeated Rep. Jamaal Bowman, D-N.Y., in the race to represent New York's 16th Congressional District. With nearly 90% of the vote reporting, Latimer leads Bowman with 58.4% of the vote to Bowman's 41.6%.
Bowman, a member of the progressive group of lawmakers known as "the Squad," has developed a reputation during his four-year tenure as a staunch critic of Israel.
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Bowman was first elected in 2020 after defeating then-Rep. Eliot Engel, D-N.Y., a 16-term incumbent, in a primary election. He represents a district that includes parts of the Bronx and Westchester Counties in the New York City area. He has faced allegations of antisemitism due to his comments about Israel following Hamas' Oct. 7 terror attack in southern Israel that has led to an elevated and prolonged conflict in the region.
The political action committee affiliated with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, which supports pro-Israel candidates on both sides of the aisle, elaborated on its concerns with Bowman's rhetoric on a page it set up to show support for Latimer in the Democratic primary.
"The incumbent has referred to Israel's creation as a 'catastrophe,' has repeatedly accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza, and was one of thirteen original cosponsors to a resolution calling for a ceasefire," the page reads.
"Moreover, the incumbent boycotted Israeli President Herzog's Congressional address and was one of ten members to vote against a bipartisan resolution standing with Israel and condemning Hamas after October 7th," the advocacy group added.
AIPAC issued a statement following Tuesday's primary to congratulate Latimer "for his resounding victory over an anti-Israel detractor" that it characterized as part of an "extremist fringe" that has directed "scurrilous attacks against the pro-Israel community."
Bowman's comments have also drawn criticism from his fellow Democrats in the New York congressional delegation.
Rep. Ritchie Torres, D-N.Y., who also represents the Bronx in Congress, shared excerpts from an interview with Bowman that he characterized as "antisemitism" in an X post on Sunday.
"In New York City, we all live together," Bowman said in the interview. "[But] Westchester is segregated. There are certain places where the Jews live and concentrate. Scarsdale, parts of White Plains, parts of New Rochelle, Riverdale. I'm sure they made a decision to do that for their own reasons … but this is why, in terms of fighting antisemitism, I always push — we've been separated and segregated and miseducated for so long. We need to live together, play together, go to school together, learn together, work together."
Torres reacted to Bowman's analysis by asserting that he "singles out 'the Jews' whom he claims 'made a decision' to segregate 'for their own reasons.'" According to Torres, "There's a word for this scapegoating: antisemitism."
"Segregation is not a 'Jewish' phenomenon," Torres added after insisting that "NYC is no utopia of racial integration." Torres reiterated his belief that "singling out Jews in order to scapegoat them for the segregation of Westchester County is antisemitism."
Bowman is not the only member of "the Squad" targeted by AIPAC in this year's elections.
The advocacy group has also endorsed St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Wesley Bell in his primary challenge against Rep. Cori Bush, D-Mo., noting that the incumbent "authored an anti-Israel ceasefire resolution in the House and was one of just ten members of Congress to vote against a resolution condemning Hamas following October 7th."
AIPAC said Bush is "one of six members to cosponsor a resolution characterizing Israel's foundation as a 'catastrophe.'"
While Bowman became the first Democrat incumbent to lose renomination this cycle, another member of the U.S. House of Representatives who has received a large amount of publicity during her relatively short tenure held on.
Boebert, who represented Colorado's 3rd Congressional District for the past two terms, decided to move to Colorado's 4th Congressional District after barely hanging on in the 2022 midterm elections.
According to unofficial results, with 95% of the vote counted, Boebert won the Republican primary in her new district with 43.4%, finishing nearly 30 points ahead of her nearest challenger. Like Bowman, Boebert first emerged on the national political scene by ousting an incumbent member of Congress in a primary four years ago. In her case, she beat Rep. Scott Tipton, R-Colo.
Boebert has faced allegations from critics of supporting what they term the "Christian Taliban" for declaring that "The Church is supposed to direct the government."
She insisted that "The government is not supposed to direct the Church," adding, "That is now how our founding fathers intended it."
Boebert drew blowback for her comments about Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., a Muslim who wears a hijab, recalling how she thought, "Well, she doesn't have a backpack — we should be OK" after seeing her in an elevator.
Boebert's remarks, which were viewed as offensive to the Muslim community, also included a description of Omar as a member of the "Jihad squad," referring to her affiliation with the progressive lawmakers group.
Ryan Foley is a reporter for The Christian Post. He can be reached at: [email protected]
