Jamaal Bowman’s primary defeat leaves progressives angry over AIPAC’s role | Democrats

Progressive groups reacted with disappointment and anger to Jamaal Bowman’s decisive primary loss to a moderate Democrat in New York’s 16th District, calling on the party to cut ties with pro-Israel lobbying groups they blame for the result.

In a letter to House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, more than a dozen progressive organizations said they were “extremely concerned” about the party’s continued association with American Israel Public Affairs Committee (Aipac), “the future of the Democratic Party, the future of our multiracial democracy, and the future of our planet.”

Signatories included the Center for Popular Democracy Action, Jewish Voice for Peace Action, New York Communities for Change and New York City Democratic Socialists of America.

In the letter, they said that in the run-up to the vote, an AIPAC-affiliated political fund, United Democracy Project, flooded the Westchester County, northern Bronx district with nearly $20 million in letters and advertisements “largely financed by Republican billionaires”. , to stifle Jamaal Bowman’s message of humanity, dignity and a prosperous future for all.”

The result, they say, was to oust a candidate that Jeffries had personally supported, who retains “deep support among the district’s black and brown communities,” and replace him with “a conservative politician with a history of racist remarks and governance “.

Bowman, a black former college principal who has openly criticized Israel’s conduct in Gaza, lost to challenger George Latimer by a wide margin of 58 percent to 42 percent of the vote. The race was called less than an hour after the polls closed.

Bowman had been supported on the campaign trail by heavyweight progressives, including Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, who called the race “one of the most important in modern American history “.

Sanders said in a statement after Bowman’s defeat that it was “a scandal and an insult to democracy that we maintain a corrupt campaign finance system that allows billionaire-funded Super Pacs to buy elections.”

“Aipac and other Super Pacs spent more than $23 million to defeat Bowman. He spent $3 million. This is a spending gap that is virtually impossible to close,” he said, adding, “It is no coincidence that along with our corrupt campaign finance system, we also have a rigged economy which allows the very rich to get much richer while many workers fall further behind. Big money buys politicians who will do what they want, and the results are clear.”

Progressives, like Sanders, have attempted to characterize the race as an example of the influence of money in politics after pro-Israel groups and a number of wealthy suburban New York residents spoke out with their checkbooks.

Progressive groups said AIPAC had “turned the NY16 race into the costliest Democratic primary in history, leading an unacceptable attack on our democracy, our communities and our shared future” and called on Jeffries to take action against “destructive actions in your country”. own yard.”

Jeffries, along with most Democratic leaders in the House of Representatives, received support from Aipac, and progressive groups demanded that he reject financial support from the pro-Israel lobbying group to protest Bowman’s defeat .

Protect Our Power said in a statement that Bowman’s defeat was a “loss for young people and for all who care about our continuing movement toward justice, peace and building a multiracial democracy.”

The progressive group accused “Aipac and the Maga billionaires who recruited and paid for George Latimer’s campaign from start to finish” of being responsible for the defeat, and vowed “to tell AIPAC that they have no right to create divisions in our democracy.”

In another letter of protest, Jewish Voice for Peace Action said it was “saddened” by the results that ousted a congressman who “was one of the few members of Congress committed to defending the human rights of Palestinians.” .

“Today is a sad day for American democracy,” said Beth Miller, JVP political director. “To protect progressive candidates, it is essential that Democrats reject AIPAC,” she added.

Group member and NY-16 voter Bob Herbst called Aipac’s multimillion-dollar spending in the district “a dangerous interference in our democracy.”

The race was seen as a crucial test of Democratic Party unity on an issue that threatens to split traditionally Democratic American Jews from the party, following Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack on Israel, which killed nearly of 1,200 people and a period of nine months. Israeli counter-offensive that killed more than 37,000 Palestinians and forced hundreds of thousands more to the point of starvation.

Bowman claimed that the results would show “fucking Aipac the power of the fucking South Bronx”, although the Aipac campaign focused primarily on Bowman’s weaknesses in general and not specifically or solely on his stance on Israel . A UDP attack ad against Bowman specifically called for his votes against the bipartisan infrastructure bill and debt ceiling deal, accusing the representative of failing his constituents.

“Jamaal Bowman has his own agenda and refuses to compromise, even with President Biden,” the ad’s narrator says. “Jamaal Bowman has his own agenda, and it’s hurting New York.”

Nonetheless, Aipac uses Latimer’s victory to claim that Bowman’s stance on Israel is the reason he lost.

“This race presented a clear choice – between George Latimer, who reflects the views of the Democratic mainstream in his congressional district and across the country, and his opponent, who aligns with the extremist, anti-Israel fringe,” he said. said Marshall, spokesperson for AIPAC. Wittmann, told Axios.

Bowman was no stranger to scandal while in office. In December 2023, he became the 27th MP in history to be censured after pulling a fire alarm while heading to vote on an interim spending bill. It was also linked to problematic blog posts that pushed unfounded conspiracy theories about the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. The posts, which Bowman said were from more than a decade ago, were discovered by the Daily Beast earlier this year and the former representative has since said he regrets them.

Bowman’s opponent, Latimer, proposed a more measured approach in a district with a large number of Jewish voters.

After accepting his victory Tuesday night, Latimer told his supporters: “We must fight to make sure we don’t vilify each other, to remember that we are all Americans and that our common future is connected.” »

Joanie Greve contributed reporting