MSNBC host Chris Hayes claimed that the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), which supported Westchester County executive George Latimer over Jamaal Bowman for Congress, was the deciding factor in the race. However, critics noted Bowman's polling woes were apparent months ago.
In a stunning turn of events, House Democrat Jamaal Bowman, a member of the progressive "Squad," has become the first incumbent to lose a primary challenge in the 2024 election cycle. The race was called for his Democratic challenger, George Latimer, with results showing a double-digit lead early Wednesday morning, a rare and lopsided rebuke of an incumbent by his own party voters.
Bowman's defeat is particularly significant as he is the first member of the far-left "Squad" to lose his seat. The "Squad" is a group of six progressive Democratic Congresswomen known for their outspoken views and advocacy for social justice issues.
House Democrat Jamaal Bowman Becomes the First Member of the "Squad" to Lose in a Primary Battle
The race was closely watched as it pitted Bowman, a vocal supporter of the Palestinian cause, against Latimer, a more moderate Democrat. Bowman had been outspoken about his support for Palestinians amid the war in Gaza and has charged that Israel is committing genocide in the region. Latimer, meanwhile, argued that Bowman had lost touch with constituents in his district.
MSNBC host Chris Hayes claimed that the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), which supported Latimer over Bowman, was the deciding factor in the race. AIPAC has become a bogeyman to anti-Israel progressives, who accuse it of holding too much influence over politicians.
House Democrat Jamaal Bowman Becomes the First Member of the "Squad" to Lose in a Primary Battle
However, critics of Hayes' take noted that Bowman's polling woes were apparent months ago. Tablet's Noam Blum wrote to Hayes, "Bowman was down 17 points before AIPAC ever aired an ad in this race."
National Review's Jeff Blehar added, "AIPAC could never exist and enough decent human beings still live in Westchester County and the Bronx to be utterly horrified about Jamaal Bowman laughing and mocking off the GoPro'd rapes of women and slaughtering of infants as 'lies' and 'propaganda.' He did it to himself."
House Democrat Jamaal Bowman Becomes the First Member of the "Squad" to Lose in a Primary Battle
Bowman's loss Tuesday night to Latimer made him the first House member of either party to be defeated by a primary challenger so far in the 2024 election cycle.
Bowman attacked AIPAC multiple times on the campaign trail, saying at a rally on Saturday that he would defeat the organization. AIPAC has become a bogeyman to anti-Israel progressives, who accuse it of holding too much influence over politicians.
"We are going to show f------ AIPAC, the power of the motherf------ South Bronx!" Bowman said at the rally, which was held outside the congressional district's boundaries. The 16th district does not include the South Bronx.
On Tuesday night, Bowman apologized for "sometimes using foul language" but said that "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."
Bowman and Latimer's campaigns did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.
