Primary Election Showdown: Jamaal Bowman vs. George Latimer in New York’s 16th Congressional District

Early Voting and Turnout

Primary election day in the Lower Hudson Valley is set for Tuesday, June 25, 2024. Early voting took place from June 15 to June 23. The current turnout in Westchester County was 47,748, with 228,887 active Democrats in the Westchester part of New York’s 16th Congressional District and 26,646 in the Bronx.

Key Race in New York’s 16th Congressional District

The key race in New York’s 16th Congressional District is between incumbent Rep. Jamaal Bowman faces off against Westchester County Executive George Latimer in a Democratic primary. Early polls had Latimer ahead, but Bowman has rallied with the support of Sen.

Bernie Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Latimer has received support from former First Lady Sen. Hillary Clinton and former Rep. Mondaire Jones, who is running for Congress in NY-17 in November.

Westchester District Attorney Race

Another race to watch is the Democratic primary for Westchester District Attorney between Susan Cacace and William Wagstaff III. The contenders are vying to succeed Mimi Rocah, who announced her resignation last year. Susan Cacace leads without 62%.

Polls Close and Results

Polls have closed in New York, with the 16th Congressional District Democratic primary pitting progressive incumbent Congress Member Jamaal Bowman against moderate Westchester County Executive George Latimer. The 16th District includes a piece of the Bronx and much of Westchester County.

Bowman and Latimer have been battling it out on the debate stage and in television ads, with a fervor normally reserved for general election races between Democrats and Republicans.Democrats in the city will also choose a number of Assembly nominees in Tuesday’s primary.

All results are unofficial, except for the 16th Congressional District race, and all vote totals are from the New York City Board of Elections. Proposed winners in each contest are denoted with a checkmark (√) next to their name.

Tensions Within the Democratic Party

Tensions within the Democratic Party are escalating in the highly contentious Democratic primary race between Rep. In the 16th Congressional District of New York, Jamaal Bowman faces off against Westchester County Executive George Latimer.

The race has exposed the party’s deep divide over U.S. policy on Israel, with both candidates seeking to paint the other as out of touch with and unfit for the district. Bowman, allied with the progressive group known as the “squad,” represents the left’s opposition to Israel’s conduct during the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza and the Biden administration’s support for Israel.

Latimer, running on a more centrist, establishment position, affirms Israel’s “rights of existence, stability, self-defense, and peace.” The winner of the Democratic primary of the 16th Congressional District is favored to win the seat in November.

Bowman Loses to Latimer

Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-N.Y.) has lost the Democratic primary in New York’s 16th Congressional District to George Latimer, a Westchester County executive. The race was a proxy battle between differing ideological factions of the Democratic Party, with the pivotal issue separating the candidates being their stances toward Israel amid the ongoing war with Palestinian militant group Hamas.

Latimer, a Westchester County executive, defeated Bowman in a close race that became a proxy struggle between different ideological sections of the Democratic Party. The race was the most expensive House primary in history, with millions of dollars poured into the race from both inside and outside the district. Bowman became a member of the “Squad,” a group of the most progressive Democrats in the House, after winning his House seat in 2020.

The battle between Latimer and Bowman grew intense at times, with Latimer alleging that Bowman’s words have undermined Israel’s right to defend itself and accused Bowman of ignoring constituents like those who are Asian or not Black or brown.

New Yorkers Vote in Primary Elections

New Yorkers are voting in the primary elections for Congress, the state Assembly, and the state Senate. The main race is in the 16th Congressional District, where Westchester County Executive George Latimer is trying to unseat far-left Rep. Jamaal Bowman. Latimer has criticized Bowman’s off-the-rails rally and criticized his “squad” representatives. Polls close at 9 p.m. ET.

Democratic Primary Results and Outside Spending

New York House Primary results 2024 show Democratic Rep. Jamaal Bowman against moderate challenger George Latimer, drawing millions in outside spending from pro-Israel groups and potential battleground districts.

The New York 16th District primary election results 2024 show Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D) facing Westchester County Executive George Latimer, who has the backing of pro-Israel groups. Latimer is leading the Democratic primary, with an estimated 44.5% of votes counted.

Bowman was among the first in Congress to urge for a cease-fire in Gaza. The victor of the primary will face Miriam Flisser (R) in November. The race has been a reflection of broader Democratic party divisions, especially around the Middle East war.

Bowman and Boebert Primaries

Reps. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) and Jamaal Bowman (D-N.Y.) are facing challenging primaries in the 4th Congressional district seat. Both were first elected after toppling longtime incumbents during the Covid summer of 2020 and have associated with extreme factions of their parties.

However, their careers in Washington are likely to diverge this evening. Bowman is a decided underdog in his Democratic primary in the immediate suburbs north of New York City, while Boebert is strongly favored to win the Republican nomination. Both races demonstrate that GOP primary voters mostly like their bomb-throwing members, especially when they’re aligned with former President Donald Trump.

If Bowman loses, it will show that Democrats are more likely to want a more expansive and activist government and that they are more likely to want their leaders to compromise with Republicans than Republicans are to want theirs to compromise with Democrats.

Boebert’s messaging focuses on red-meat Republican issues like immigration and touts her Trump endorsement. The Bowman primary is the most expensive in American history, with the United Democracy Project spending $14.8 million to defeat incumbent incumbent John Boebert.