Representative Jamaal Bowman (NY-16) was the first ever “Squad” member to lose a primary race - proof of the growing divide within the Democrat Party over Israel. Does the NYC primary election victory for pro-Israel George Latimer forecast potential results for the 2024 presidential election between President Joe Biden and President Donald Trump?
The “Squad” - or rather the “Hamas Caucus” - has gained sizable traction in the last few years in the House, and this loss is a big blow to their cause. Rep. Bowman was one of 37 Democrats who voted against sending aid to Israel. He also voted against the Abraham Accords, meaning he didn’t want Israel to have a better relationship with other Muslim countries, among other radical anti-Israel measures.
In other words, Bowman is as anti-Israel as you can be in New York, which has a strong Jewish population. However, he just got it handed to him in the primary. The votes are still coming in, but it looks like Latimer will take close to 60 percent of the votes. Clearly, the 16th congressional district has had enough of Bowman’s antisemitic, bizarre antics. (Don’t forget that he also once pulled a fire alarm to stop a congressional vote and is known for using extremely foul language at rallies.)
Bowman didn’t hold back in blaming the AIPAC (American Israel Public Affairs Committee) for his loss: “We should be outraged when a super PAC of dark money can spend $20 million to brainwash people into believing something that isn’t true. We should be outraged about that.” If the funds were dark money, how did Bowman know how much was donated? Also, it shouldn’t be shocking that AIPAC would support a candidate who isn’t so vocally anti-Israel.
Unseating a sitting incumbent is not easy. However, Bowman clearly ignored his constituency with his radical antisemitism, and the votes show that. Losing by double digits is a shocking defeat.
Don’t doubt Bowman’s loss also isn’t a wake-up call for President Biden. The growing divide within the Democrat Party is forcing Biden to walk a fine line between supporting Israel and creating distance with Israel. Though the pro-Israel candidate ultimately won, Bowman still got 40 percent of the vote, so how does the President appease the radical base? President Biden has been trying to have his cake and eat it too on the topic of Israel, and it could backfire.
And what does Bowman’s defeat mean for the general election? President Trump had a massive turnout during his recent Bronx rally. New York could potentially be on the table for Trump. Many polls show Biden only leading by single digits in the state.
Former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard reacted to Bowman’s loss:
“I think that it is a positive sign that there is a movement inside the Democrat Party - or at least inside voters in New York in a district that probably leans very Democrat - that they don’t want these kinds of extremists who are really toeing the line on racism and antisemitism and encouraging violence against Jews . . . to be representing them in Congress. And there has been increasing violence against Jewish people. . . . [Some are] literally going out and chasing them down and hunting them down. It’s a terrifying time to hear from our Jewish friends sincerely questioning whether or not it is safe to . . . raise their kids and their families in the U.S.”
The primary loss sent a shockwave through the far Left. The first presidential debate is tomorrow night. Let’s see if President Biden addresses the topic of Israel.
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25 июн 2024
