As predicted, the race wasn’t close in the deep blue region, although the split between the two portions of the district was obvious.
By Batya Jerenberg, World Israel News
Challenger George Latimer handily beat Squad incumbent Jamaal Bowman in Tuesday’s primary for New York’s deep blue 16th District, making it almost a certainty that an additional pro-Israel voice will be added to Congress in November.
The two parts of the district voted wildly differently, with 83% of those in the heavily black Bronx ticking the African-American Bowman’s name, but the larger, Westchester portion, which has a significant Jewish population, overwhelmingly going for Latimer.
There was more than a 10-point spread between the two when Bowman conceded defeat.
Although Latimer touted his 30 years of experience in New York and Westchester County politics to show his success in fighting for his constituents, much of the race revolved around the ongoing war in the Gaza Strip because of the opposite sides they took on the issue.
While both are proponents of the so-called “two-state solution,” Latimer backs Israel wholeheartedly in its war, saying that there is no point to negotiating a ceasefire with Hamas since it is a terrorist organization, and blaming Palestinian terrorism for the conflict.
Bowman is one of the Democrats who belong to the progressive, anti-Israel Squad. He has called Israel an “apartheid state,” parroted Hamas talking points such as accusing Israel of committing genocide in Gaza, and called for limiting weapons shipments to the Jewish state.
Before backtracking, he also at first called it a “lie” that Hamas terrorists systematically raped many of their victims during their October 7 massacre of 1,200 people.
A mere week after the slaughter, he urged a ceasefire in a statement that did not mention Hamas, terrorism, or the 252 Israeli hostages that the terrorists had taken.
When Latimer’s campaign gained steam, backed by big money, including over $14 million raised by the PAC of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), the Black two-term congressman started spouting antisemitic themes in his speeches about Jewish money and its supposed control over American politics.
During a debate last month with Latimer, he charged that “You’re the number-one recipient of AIPAC money in the country. AIPAC is funded by right-wing Republicans who want to destroy our democracy.”
Ten days ago, in a rally also addressed by anti-Israel colleagues Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt) and fellow New Yorker Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, he yelled into the microphone, “We are going to show f—ing AIPAC, the power of the motherf—ing South Bronx! People ask me why I got a foul mouth. What am I supposed to do? You’re coming after me! You’re coming after my family! You’re coming after my children! I’m not supposed to fight back?”
A record $23 million was spent on TV, digital, radio and social media advertising during the runup to the primary, the vast majority of it by the Latimer campaign.
Jewish community leaders and rabbis rejoiced at the victory after working hard to get their community out to vote.
“The turnout we’ve generated will be a model for Jewish communities across the country,” said Maury Litwack, CEO of the Teach New York Coalition/Westchester United, a group affiliated with the Orthodox Jewish Union
In a statement, Democratic Majority for Israel president Mark Mellman said, “George Latimer’s victory and Jamaal Bowman’s defeat proves in dramatic fashion that being pro-Israel is not just wise policy, but also smart politics.”
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