New York Daily News reports that Congressman Jamaal Bowman has lashed out against an AIPAC-tied pro-Israel political action committee that has launched a $1.8 million ad campaign against him in his Democratic congressional primary contest.
Bowman is being challenged by Westchester County Executive George Latimer.
Bowman is a member in good standing of the so-called “Squad,” alongside Ilhan Omar, Cori Bush, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Rashida Tlaib. As far as we can tell this is the first time that an organized effort of this magnitude has been mounted against a member of Congress who seeks to drive a wedge between the U.S. and its closest ally in the world.
According to the Jerusalem Post, Bowman’s voting record shows a pattern of no votes on resolutions relating to the security of Israel and Jews:
He voted against expansion of support for Israel after Oct. 7; against condemnation of the rise of antisemitism; against labeling Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis as terrorist organizations; against emergency security supplies to Israel despite voting for similar aid for Ukraine; against the Hamas International Financing Prevention Act; against condemning support for Hamas, Hezbollah and other terrorist organizations at institutions of higher learning which may lead to a hostile environment for Jewish students, faculty and staff; against condemning antisemitism on campus; against the Israel Security Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2024; against the Iran Sanctions Accountability Act of 2023; against the Iran Counterterrorism Act of 2023; and against the Anti-Semitism Awareness Act of 2023.
Bowman is entitled to his opinions. But so are we. And we are looking forward to a Latimer victory; he is now leading in the polls. Hopefully the symbolism of a Latimer win will radiate out and set the stage for similar efforts against other “Squad” members.
