Will NY Rep. Jamaal Bowman Lose His Seat In Next Week’s House Primary?

A New York Democratic primary sheds light on the split over Gaza and the party’s leftward shift.

Share full article

Representative Jamaal Bowman, Democrat of New York, is facing a challenging primary election next week.

Hi there! Today, we’re looking at a political brawl that’s become a high-stakes battle for the future of the Democratic Party. Then I’ll take you behind the scenes of a photo shoot featuring Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s ravens. My colleague Nicholas Fandos, who covers New York politics, starts us off. — Jess Bidgood

By Nicholas Fandos

This time last year, Representative Jamaal Bowman of New York seemed finally to be hitting his stride. His in-your-face confrontations with conservative Republicans made him a cable news darling. He was thinking of running for mayor of New York City.

Come Tuesday, when New York holds its House primaries, he may be looking for a new line of work.

The swift reversal has captivated the political world, and not just because Bowman would be the first member of the House’s closely watched left-wing “squad” to lose his seat. His primary has also become one of the clearest windows this election year into the fracturing of the Democratic coalition over Gaza and just how far left the party should go.

Bowman’s troubles started last fall, when he began speaking out in the days after Oct. 7 as one of Congress’s leading critics of Israel’s war with Hamas. His stand — for a cease-fire and against American military aid — galvanized younger Democrats and the party’s left flank.

But in a heavily Jewish district, it also helped foment a backlash that led Jewish leaders to recruit a formidable primary challenger, George Latimer; prompted a pro-Israel lobby to pump a record-shattering $15 million into the race; and eventually lit a match under old tensions over race, class and ideology.

An ugly intraparty dispute

Bowman, who is Black, has repeatedly accused his white opponent of racism. He argues his adversaries are trying to silence him for his positions on the war but also because his politics represent a threat to the business and political establishment.

Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Senator Bernie Sanders are parachuting in to try to save him.

We are having trouble retrieving the article content.

Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.

Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.