The race for the congressional seat in the 16th district between incumbent U.S. Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-N.Y.) and Westchester County Executive George Latimer is reaching the home stretch.
The candidates held their first televised debate last week, both fiercely defending their positions and racking up the tension in the race to 11. Political insiders consider the outcome of June’s primary a bellwether of the general election for the presidency in November because of the looming influence of the Israel-Palestine war in this race.
“In the week since (the debate), it’s almost as if my willingness to call his campaign out on their bigotry has given a greenlight to him, his supporters, and his Republican mega-donors to go from dog whistles to outright anti-Black racism,” Bowman said in a statement. “This race, just like elections across the country this year, is about the threats our community and our values face from Donald Trump and his mega-donors.”
Bowman is the first Black person to represent the 16th congressional district, but even as an incumbent, he’s been seen as the underdog in the fight. He comes from a working-class background and was a middle school principal in the Bronx for 10 years, building a platform on uplifting communities of color in the district that have been overlooked.
Co-Op City in the Bronx, as well as New Rochelle, Yonkers, Mount Vernon, and parts of Westchester County, were considered strongholds of Black and Brown support for Bowman during his initial 2020 run. The neighborhood was removed from the district in the controversial 2022 redistricting process, but returned this year, according to New York Working Families Party (WFP) Co-Director Jasmine Gripper. She thinks the race will be determined by a good turnout of his base at the polls again.
“We are talking to voters one day at a time. That’s how we plan to win this race and make sure voters know the importance of it,” said Gripper, about building a diverse coalition of Arab and Jewish voters from the district.
Bowman’s endorsements include U.S. Reps. Pramila Jayapal and Nydia Velazquez, and Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, New York City Comptroller Brad Lander, and labor groups like the Service Employees International Union (SEIU 1199), District Council 37 (DC37), United Auto Workers (UAW), and New York State Nurses Association (NYSNA). He also had backing from the Congressional Black Caucus PAC, Congressional Progressive Caucus PAC, Make the Road Action, Jews for Racial and Economic Justice, League of Conservation Voters, Alliance for Quality Education (AQE), Human Rights Campaign, and Jim Owles Liberal Democratic Club.
So far, Bowman has prided himself on a people-powered campaign and has raised $2,673,515 in contributions, according to the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
Bowman was especially concerned about Latimer’s views that high Black voter turnout as “skewing the results” of his initial election in 2020. Latimer has also stated that gun violence is not a problem in Westchester County, denying the experiences of communities of color in southern Westchester towns.
“When he compared Cuomo to Emmett Till a few years ago, I thought it was a mistake and tried to take a diplomatic approach,” said Bowman. “Multiple instances now prove he knows exactly what he is doing, and I will call it out for what it is.”
Bowman also said in the debate that he believes in working toward a two-state solution for Palestine and Israel; the elected militant group Harakat al-Muqawama al-Islamiya (HAMAS) needs to be eradicated; and unseating Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, as U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer has called for. Locally, he wants to continue investing in mental health and resources to combat public safety recidivism, abortion rights, and pushing cultural education as a key to fighting hate.
A Westchester native, Latimer is a pro-Israeli Democrat who has worked as a county executive since 2018. He has held office in Rye as a City Councilperson, in Westchester County as a legislator, and in the State Senate and Assembly. He presented himself as representing the majority of the district, including Republican and Jewish voters. He said he’s “working hard” to get to know the Bronx portion of the district.
Latimer believes that Bowman is lying about pulling the fire alarm accidentally to interrupt a congressional vote. Bowman said it was a mistake, and proceeded to plead guilty to a misdemeanor charge and agreed to pay a small fine. “Look at the video; don’t look at his act on the stage,” said Latimer.
Latimer has raised $3,676,320 in contributions thanks in large part to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), the pro-Israeli super-PAC bankrolled by Trump mega-donors who recruited Latimer to run. AIPAC’s United Democracy Project is slated to spend $2.2 million on campaign ads that don’t mention Israel or Gaza. The lobbying group has similarly donated to U.S. Reps Ritchie Torres and Hakeem Jeffries, as well as other high-profile Democrats in past elections.
“We proudly support George Latimer who is a strong pro-Israel progressive who is opposed by a detractor of the relationship between America and the Jewish state,” said AIPAC in a statement. “We believe that (it) is entirely consistent with progressive values to stand with Israel. In fact, AIPAC is the top fundraiser for Congressional Black Caucus members, Hispanic caucus members, and Progressive Caucus members.”
Pressed in their first debate about his high-profile GOP backers and AIPAC funding, a huge talking point in the race, Latimer said that actions of the individual should matter more than donations.
“When you talk about people’s campaign donations and try to make a correlation, you have to talk about all the campaign donations. My opponent has taken money from various PACs that have also supported Republican candidates,” Latimer said. “Isn’t he in as much jeopardy of doing their bidding as he accuses me of doing?”
In addition to AIPAC, Latimer has been endorsed by the Jewish Democratic Council of America, Democratic Majority for Israel PAC, Dream for America, Italian American Democrats, and Stonewall Democrats; labor groups like Transit Workers Union Local 100 and the New York State Professional Firefighters District 5; and elected officials such as Senator Shelley Mayer and Assemblymember Chris Burdick.
In the debate, Latimer also said he would advocate for a two-state solution for Palestine and Israel, opposes a ceasefire until hostages are released, and wants to see more border security when it comes to immigration policies. Locally, he believes in more police presence to engender safety, creating a pathway for migrants and asylum seekers to get jobs, and combating hate speech.
Ariama C. Long is a Report for America corps member who writes about politics for the Amsterdam News. Your donation to match our RFA grant helps keep her writing stories like this one; please consider making a tax-deductible gift of any amount today by visiting https://bit.ly/amnews1.