Former Secretary of State, Democratic presidential nominee and First Lady Hillary Clinton publicly endorsed primary challenger George Latimer to upseat Democratic Rep. Jamaal Bowman in the race for New York’s 16th District this month.
“With Trump on the ballot, we need strong, principled Democrats in Congress more than ever. In Congress, @LatimerforNY will protect abortion rights, stand up to the NRA, and fight for President Biden’s agenda—just like he’s always done. Make a plan to vote by June 25th!” Clinton wrote in a post shared on her X account Wednesday (June 12).
Bowman, 48, the progressive incumbent, has been challenged by Latimer, 70, a popular Westchester County officeholder, after his criticism of Israel in its war with Hamas has gained national attention, which included the Daily Beast‘s report that Bowman had a personal YouTube account kept active as recently as April subscribed to several users pushing outrageous conspiracy theories, many of which were rooted in antisemitism.
Bowman, a member of the self-described group of progressive younger lawmakers known as ‘the squad,’ has received backing from several colleagues including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D- N.Y. 14th) and Minority House Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D- N.Y. 8th), as expected for many incumbents, however, Latimer has also gained high-profile allies, including several past lawmakers and former Democratic New York Gov. David Paterson. Clinton, 76, who served as New York’s senator from 2001 to 2009, has a home in a neighboring district.
A recent poll conducted by Emerson College shows Latimer leading Bowman, 48% to 31%, while 21% of respondents were undecided.
“Voters under 40 break for Bowman: 44% to 35%, while voters over 40 break for Latimer,” said Spencer Kimball, executive director of Emerson College Polling. “Democratic primary voters ages 40-59 break for Latimer 53% to 31%, while voters in their 60s break for Latimer 46% to 29%, and voters over 70 break for Latimer 53% to 22%.”
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