MOUNT VERNON, NY – Bernie Sanders is on one side of the race, and Hillary Clinton is on the other. The House Democratic primary in New York is, in many ways, a rehash of the 2016 presidential primary — with much of the familiar vitriol.
Tuesday’s election between progressive Rep. Jamaal Bowman, D-N.Y., and centrist challenger George Latimer — which drew the largest advertising spend of any House primary in history — again exposed the flaws of that close race eight years ago and highlighted the huge divide in the Democratic Party over the Israel-Hamas war.
Bowman, one of Israel’s fiercest critics in Congress, is fighting for his political life as he tries to fend off an onslaught of attack ads and win a third term. The United Democracy Project, a super PAC linked to the powerful pro-Israel Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), alone invested nearly $15 million in ads to unseat Bowman and elect Latimer, the Westchester County executive who spent the most three decades in local politics.
This spending occurs in a diverse district north of Manhattan that mixes urban and suburban areas and is home to one of the most significant American Jewish populations in the country.
As they crossed New York’s 16th District on the final stretch of the race, Bowman and Latimer recognized that the war in Gaza and record spending had made this a national race.
Latimer “was recruited by AIPAC to run against me because from very early on I called for a permanent ceasefire. AIPAC and its affiliates are investing an unprecedented amount of money… and that makes it essential,” Bowman said in an interview with NBC News in Mount Vernon, a New York suburb in southern Westchester County.
“Do you want to send back to Congress an educator who spent his entire life serving children, families, and babies in our community and uplifting the working class?” said Bowman, 48, a former high school principal in the Bronx. “Or do you want a career politician funded by right-wing Republican billionaires literally buying our democracy? The choice is crystal clear.”
Latimer, 70, also sought to draw a clear contrast, both in substance and tone, describing himself as more “diplomatic” at a campaign stop on Monday.
Countering Buckman’s claim that his potential success on Tuesday is AIPAC’s alone, Latimer told reporters at an event with black religious leaders: “We had some internal polling data before a penny was spent on this race and the initial comparisons positive-negative that I had and the owner… put me ahead from the beginning. So if someone says, ‘Oh, you spent so much money, that’s why you won’, that wouldn’t be correct. We were ahead from the start.”
“He said, ‘I want to give you a choice, I want to give you something different,” Latimer told NBC News on Monday, referring to Bowman’s 2020 challenge to longtime Democratic Rep. Elliott Engel. “So I don’t see why my advancement would be any different now.”
National figures follow the trail
In the final days of the campaign, Bowman brought in some progressive heavyweights in an attempt to boost turnout during what would normally be a sleepy summer primary.
At two campaign events on Friday and Saturday, Bowman appeared with Sanders, the Vermont independent senator and left-wing hero who took on Clinton and the Democratic establishment in 2016. Another progressive star, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who represents a district New York neighbor, appeared with Bowman and Sanders at Saturday’s event in the Bronx.
“My opponent and AIPAC are the ones destroying democracy,” Bowman shouted at Saturday’s rally, his words embodying the harshness and bitterness that have come to set the tone of this race. “Let’s show AIPAC the power of the fucking South Bronx.” (The South Bronx was previously part of this district, but was eliminated in the recent redistricting cycle.)
Sanders, who is Jewish, called the race “one of the most important in modern American history,” warning that lawmakers will not face big-money special interests in the future if Bowman is defeated on Tuesday.
“You say what? District 16, Bronx, New York, the most important in American history? Really? Yes definitely. Because this election is not about Jamaal versus Mr. Latimer,” Sanders told a crowd of about 300 people. “This election is about whether or not the billionaire class and oligarchs will control the United States government. And our opinion is: no, they won’t.”
Ocasio-Cortez, who like Bowman is a member of the “Squad” of progressive black lawmakers, told rally attendees that she believes Bowman is being targeted because of her pro-Palestinian views and “racism.” Earlier this year, AIPAC tried and failed to unseat another Black Squadron member in an area with significant Jewish residents, Rep. Summer Lee, D-Pa.
“It has not gone unnoticed by us that the only representative among 435 that these large financial interests choose… who they want to make an example of is a black man, son of a single mother raised in public housing, and later founded one of the most recognized public schools from all over New York City, right here in the South Bronx,” Ocasio-Cortez said. “We don’t go unnoticed – we see racism at play.”
Asked about these accusations, which emerged in the final days of the race, Latimer attempted to clarify controversial comments he had made, concluding: “They’re trying to latch on to any claim they can, to try to make me something that I’m not.”
What did he mean when he said Bowman has an “ethnic benefit” in the diverse district? “It connects to the Bronx because it has a common demographic with most people in the Bronx,” Latimer explained. “All I did was answer the question with the same kind of practical understanding that exists in politics.”
As for a recent report that Bowman’s “constituency is in Dearborn, Michigan” – an area with a large Muslim population – Latimer rejected Bowman’s accusation that the comment amounted to racial dog-whistling.
“He has a joint fundraising effort with the congressman. [Rashida] Tlaib. She lives in Dearborn,” Latimer said, referring to the Michigan congresswoman who is also a member of the Squad.
Latimer also has some star power on his side. When announcing it endorsement for Latimer This month, Clinton, a voter in Westchester County, made no mention of Israel but said Latimer “will protect abortion rights, stand up to the NRA and fight for President Biden’s agenda – just as he always has.”
Former Rep. Mondaire Jones, D-N.Y., a longtime Bowman ally seeking a comeback in a neighboring district, is supporting Latimer because of Bowman’s comments about Israel. And so on On Monday, another prominent moderate Democrat, Rep. Josh Gottheimer of New Jersey, co-chair of the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus, endorsed Latimer over his House colleague.
“We need more common-sense leaders and problem solvers in Congress,” said Gottheimer, who is Jewish. said on X. “I know George will fight hate in all forms and defend the values we all believe in.”
Asked about the heavyweights lined up behind Latimer, Bowman took a not-so-subtle shot at Clinton.
“I don’t know how much of a heavy hitter Hillary Clinton is, with all due respect. People care more about Hakeem Jeffries, myself and the future of the Democratic Party,” Bowman said, referring to the House minority leader and fellow New York Democrat, who along with his top lieutenants supported Bowman but did not they campaigned with him.
Bowman retreats
Bowman, known for his frequent use of profanity and confrontational approach on Capitol Hill, is generally unapologetic. But the Israel critic backtracked in recent days when he initially said that reports of sexual violence during the Hamas terrorist attack in Israel on October 7 were “propaganda” and “lies.”
“The UN has confirmed incidents of sexual assault. As soon as the UN confirmed it, we immediately condemned it,” Bowman told NBC News. “We cannot trust Benjamin Netanyahu. Benjamin Netanyahu lied to the president. And the president in the White House had to go back on things that Benjamin Netanyahu told them. Therefore, we cannot trust Benjamin Netanyahu. And so I’m not going to take his word for it that something happened.”
Attack ads also accused Bowman of opposing parts of Biden’s agenda and breaking with the president on certain votes. Bowman rejected that narrative, pointing to his support for Biden last year.
“I have already supported President Biden and I have supported President Biden. Again, this is propaganda for advertisements. I voted with the president 94% of the time. I wrote several amendments to CHIPS and the Science Act. … I shared the stage with him several times,” Bowman said. “It is a joke and a lie to say that I am not with President Biden. … That’s $30 million in brainwashing in ads and direct mail.”
This story originally appeared on NBCNews.com read the full story
