George Latimer, the Westchester County executive, defeated Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-N.Y.) in the Democratic primary for New York’s 16th Congressional District on Tuesday night, according to the Associated Press.
“Tonight, Democratic voters in New York resoundingly rejected incumbent Congressman Jamaal Bowman’s politics of division, choosing instead a progressive pro-Israel champion in George Latimer,” said Mark Mellman, chairman of DMFI PAC. “We are thrilled to congratulate him on his momentous victory.”
The Associated Press called the race at 9:38 p.m. on Tuesday. As of Wednesday morning, with 88% of the votes counted, Latimer had 44,371 votes (58.4%), ahead of Bowman’s 31,555 (41.6%). Miriam Flisser, the Republican candidate, had no primary challenger.
Bowman, a member of the far-left “Squad” in Congress and a frequent critic of the Jewish state, “made anti-Israelism the centerpiece of his campaign in a deep-blue district,” Mellman said. “His constituents voted to oust him in favor of George Latimer, who earned our endorsement with his strong support for the U.S.-Israel relationship and the broader Biden-Harris agenda.”
“Like other races this cycle, George Latimer’s victory and Jamaal Bowman’s defeat demonstrate in dramatic fashion our long-time contention that being pro-Israel is not just wise policy, but also winning politics,” he added.
Mellman said that DMFI PAC’s polling in the 16th District suggested that Democratic primary voters approved of U.S. President Joe Biden’s handling of the war between Israel and Hamas by a margin of 59% to 28% and that 62% of those voters side wanted Washington to side with Israel in the war against the terror organization.
DMFI PAC advertised about the race, including Bowman’s anti-Israel views, to black and Hispanic voters in the district. “We communicated with them through over 315,000 pieces of direct mail, four digital ads viewed more than 6.4 million times and a cable-TV ad placed on over a dozen stations,” the PAC stated.
AIPAC also congratulated Latimer “for his resounding victory over an anti-Israel detractor.”
“This triumph by a strong pro-Israel candidate represents a major victory for the Democratic mainstream that stands with the Jewish state and a defeat for the extremist fringe,” AIPAC stated.
“Pro-Israel activists strongly supported George Latimer—a progressive Democrat who is firmly committed to standing with Israel as it battles Iranian terrorist proxies. Voters rejected his opponent’s vituperative barrage of scurrilous attacks against the pro-Israel community,” the group added. “The outcome in this race once again shows that the pro-Israel position is both good policy and good politics—for both parties.”
Latimer had out-raised Bowman by about $5.8 million to about $4.3 million, according to the most recent U.S. Federal Election Commission data, which ran through June 5. Flisser raised no money.
