Rep. Jamaal Bowman is trailing in the fundraising battle with his Democratic primary battle challenger George Latimer.
Newly released Federal Election Committee documents revealed the two-term progressive incumbent raised $1.3 million in the first quarter of 2024, compared to $2.2 million for Latimer in the same period.
Bowman reports having $1.5 million cash on hand, far less than Latimer’s $3 million war chest, as the June 25 primary approaches.
Latimer, a popular two-term incumbent county executive, has mounted a robust primary challenge, focusing on Bowman’s harsh criticism of Israel and the war in Gaza.
Latimer says his healthy fundraising haul reflects the broad support he has in the deep blue NY-16 district, which covers most of the southern half of Westchester County and a slice of the Bronx.
“George Latimer is a progressive Democrat who is drawing support from across the district, while Jamaal Bowman votes with MAGA Republicans against President Biden’s infrastructure bill and in favor of shutting down the government,” the Latimer campaign said in a statement.
Bowman, a former Bronx middle school principal, says he better represents the progressive views of constituents in the majority-minority cities of Mount Vernon, New Rochelle and his hometown of Yonkers. He caught a break when New York Democrats recently tweaked the district’s borders by adding Co-Op City.
The pro-Bowman Working Families Party lashed out at Latimer for taking money from donors who have also raised cash for former President Trump.
“How can we trust that someone socializing with Trump donors will do the right thing when it comes to protecting our reproductive freedoms, passing gun safety legislation, and addressing the climate crisis?” said Ana María Archila, co-director of the WFP.
They demanded Latimer return donations from Dan Loeb, a controversial hedge fund mogul who was once accused of making racist comments about New York Democratic Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins.
The battle in deep blue NY-16 is the only competitive congressional primary challenge to a progressive incumbent in the New York metro area.
Democrats hope to knock off several Republican incumbents in the New York suburbs, where the GOP dramatically outperformed expectations in the 2022 midterms.
Ex-Rep. Mondaire Jones is challenging freshman GOP Rep. Mike Lawler in the northern suburbs while several Democrats are battling for the right to take on Rep. Anthony D’Esposito on Long Island’s south shore.
Rep. Nick LaLota faces a potentially tricky reelection in his Suffolk County-based district, where disgraced ex-Rep. George Santos plans to run as a right-wing spoiler.
