Democrat George Latimer defeated U.S. Rep. Jamaal Bowman in New York’s 16th Congressional District based on his performance in vote-rich Westchester County, according to an Associated Press analysis of early voting results
WASHINGTON – Democrat George Latimer defeated U.S. Rep. Jamaal Bowman in New York’s 16th Congressional District based on his performance in vote-rich Westchester County, according to an Associated Press analysis of early voting results.
The result marks the first primary defeat this year for a Democratic candidate for the U.S. House.
Here’s a look at how the AP determined the winner:
CANDIDATES: Bowman, Latimer
WINNER: Latimer
CALLED AT: 9:38 p.m. ET
SURVEY CLOSING TIME: 9 p.m. ET
ABOUT THE RACE: The heated primary highlights a deep divide within the Democratic Party over the Israel-Hamas War. Bowman, a former high school principal seeking a third term in Congress, has been one of the U.S. House’s most vocal critics of the Biden administration for its support of Israel in what he described as genocide in Gaza. The race has attracted the attention of the American-Israeli Public Affairs Committee, whose super PAC spent nearly $15 million in the race to defeat Bowman. Latimer, a two-term Westchester County executive and former state representative, ran in part based on his support for Israel and supported President Joe Biden’s agenda. The 16th Congressional District in the northern suburbs of New York City is mostly southern Westchester County and includes a small portion of the Bronx.
WHY AP CALLED THE RACE: Bowman started the night with a lead in the vote count as the first voting results were reported in the Bronx. He would maintain an overwhelming lead in the Bronx throughout the night, but Latimer quickly took the lead as Westchester County began reporting early voting results. At the time the AP called the race, Latimer had a 26-point lead in Westchester, with nearly half of the county’s estimated votes tabulated. Westchester represents about 90% of the district’s population. Latimer was also ahead in the district’s moderately Democratic areas, which make up most of the district, while Bowman was far ahead in the district’s most heavily Democratic areas. To win, Bowman would need to significantly outperform Latimer among the district’s remaining votes. While this was likely in the Bronx, it had too large an electoral deficit to overcome in Westchester.
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Associated Press writers Maya Sweedler and Leah Askarinam in Washington contributed to this report.
