Democratic Rep. Jamaal Bowman has become the first member of The Squad to be ousted from Congress after a crushing defeat in his New York primary.
Support from fellow progressive Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez couldn’t save the fire-alarm-pulling Bowman as his opponent George Latimer, 70, secured a convincing victory on Tuesday night.
Their Bronx rally at the weekend that was mocked for their WWE-style entrances and foul-mouthed speeches full of f-bombs seemed to be the final nail in the coffin for Bowman’s bid for a third term.
The contest in New York’s 16th Congressional District was the most expensive primary in history – with the powerful American Israel Public Affairs Committee pouring $15million into a campaign against Bowman.
Bowman was targeted for his anti-Israel views and his strong support for Palestinians in the wake of the Hamas October 7 terrorist attacks.
He was one of the first to demand a ceasefire and has flirted with conspiracies about Israel, prompting some within his own party to accuse him of antisemitism.
Voters also wouldn’t have forgotten him pleading guilty to pulling a fire alarm in Congress because he was running late to votes.
The future of the hardcore progressive Squad is now on shaky grounds and Bowman’s performance does not bode well for Democrats who publicly oppose Israel.
Latimer is a former state legislator who has served as Westchester County executive since 2018. He’s the favorite to win in November in the Democratic stronghold.
Bowman’s district is partly affluent, white and Jewish in Westchester and partly black and brown voters in the Bronx.
‘Jamaal Bowman should pull the fire alarm again because he is going to be smoked by [Latimer] today,’ former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, D, wrote on X.
Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, R-N.Y., said ‘good riddance’ to Bowman’s loss on X.
‘From his juvenile fire alarm antics to his vile anti-Semitism to his profanity-laced tirades to his support for open borders & defunding police, Jamaal Bowman has been an embarrassment to his party, his district & our state. Good riddance.’
Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., shared a clip of a heated exchange he had with Bowman off the House floor over gun control last year.
Lauren Boebert cruises to victory in Colorado
Republican Rep. Lauren Boebert comfortably won her Colorado primary on Tuesday night after switching districts and despite a slew of scandals and legal dramas with her family.
The MAGA firebrand endorsed by Donald Trump moved on from the state’s third Congressional district after sneaking to victory by less than 1,000 votes in 2022.
Despite her antics, including publicly vaping and groping a date at Beetlejuice performance, she cruised to a win in the more reliably Republican fourth district.
After handily defeating five other Republicans, she is now comfortably positioned to win with a 13-point GOP advantage in November.
