NEW YORK — George Latimer toppled liberal Rep. Jamaal Bowman Tuesday in a , heated NY- 16 Democrat primary , that focused mainly on the candidate’s progressive views and severe condemnation of Israel’s war in Gaza.
The Westchester County Executive parlayed his strong roots in the area and a , stream of pro- Israel spending , to dislodge the liberal incumbent, who turned off some with his extravagant antics.
He’s the expensive favorite to win the , strong- orange district , over a small- known Democratic opponent in the November general election.
Latimer’s victory was a significant affirmation of his support for Israel and his moderate politics, as well as his outward-looking leftist approach, especially in a moderate suburban district.
Latimer , launched his challenge to Bowman, the first Black lawmaker to represent the district, in December as Bowman emerged as one of the leading congressional critics of Israel’s war.
With longstanding strong support in Westchester’s large Jewish community,  , Latimer called out Bowman and fellow progressives for what he called antisemitic opposition , to Israel and downplaying the Oct. 7 Hamas terror attacks.
The race quickly turned into a a costly referendum on the politics of Israel , , with pro-Israel donors and the right-wing America Israel Political Affairs Committee pouring millions of dollars into the fight to defeat Bowman. They have also funded potent challenges to Rep. Cori Bush, D- Mo., and Rep. Ilhan Omar, D- Minn.
The Bowman-Latimer conflict also turned into a , proxy war between moderate and progressive Democratic factions, with Latimer claiming to be a stronger and more trustworthy ally of President Biden, whom Bowman has occasionally criticized.
In the end,  , AIPAC spent a record$ 14.5 million  , on television ads, and polls showed Latimer building a significant lead in recent months.
As the primary vote neared,  , Jewish groups rallied support from synagogues , and community groups and boasted of an overwhelming turnout in the nine days of early in- person voting.
Bowman, 48, received substantial funding from progressive donors and received the steadfast backing of the Working Families Party, which is leaning in his favor.
He hit back hard with , raucous election week rallies , featuring progressive icons like Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Alexandria- Ocasio- Cortez.
The enraged lawmaker dropped some f-bombs and riled up the crowds with hip-hop lyrics.  , But by then the die was cast, with Latimer’s long record in the district trumping Bowman’s energy.
The defeat ends a four- year stint in Washington for Bowman, a former Bronx middle school principal who won the seat by , beating longtime incumbent Rep. Eliot Engel , in a contentious 2020 primary.
He suffered an unforeseen setback when the , NY- 16 district was redrawn , to include far more of Westchester and far less of the Bronx, forcing him to compete on much less- friendly political turf.
Just over 20 % of the district’s voting- age population is now Black and 42 % is non- Hispanic white.
Bowman also won headlines for some of the wrong reasons, like when , he pulled a fire alarm on Capitol Hill , during a closely contested vote last summer.
A former rising star’s embarrassing moment came when he was forced to admit guilt to a misdemeanor.
Latimer, 70, on the other hand, has built a career as the , steady face of local Democratic politics  , in Westchester County.
In 2018, he took the county executive position, which was once a swing county, and he was a former state lawmaker and marketing executive.
He forged strong ties throughout the county, including in Mount Vernon, where he was a child and is now overwhelmingly Black.
Latimer made a couple of missteps of his own, like when , he accused Bowman of representing Dearborn, Michigan,  , the Detroit- area city that includes the largest Arab- American community in the U. S, which Bowman allies called an anti- Arab dog whistle.
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