The Washington Examiner’s Sarah Bedford stated Wednesday that the primary defeat of Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-NY) could be used as “a playbook” for centrist Democrats in defeating their more far-left counterparts.
Bowman’s loss Tuesday to the incumbent lawmaker George Latimer in New York’s 16th District came after Bowman’s vocal criticism of Israel in the wake of the Oct. 7 Hamas attack. Bedford contended that this contributed to his loss, adding that his fire alarm stunt in September last year made him “a national embarrassment.”
“But there is perhaps a playbook here for centrist Democrats interested in unseating far-left candidates,” Bedford said on Fox Business’s Cavuto: Coast to Coast. “This highlights the divisions there within the party and suggests that potentially voters are fed up with some of these progressive politics that are on the fringes of public opinion, and politicians like Bowman who spent more time trying to become a national celebrity than sort of representing the actual constituents in his district.”
Bowman is also the first “Squad” member in Congress to lose reelection. Bedford said this “could be” a warning for the other members, including Reps. Ilhan Omar (D-MN), Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), and Cori Bush (D-MO). She also noted how millions of dollars were spent against Bowman in his primary election and argued that other primaries might not need as much investment under the right circumstances.
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The American Israel Public Affairs Committee donated at least $14.5 million to advocate against Bowman. The committee is doing the same for other lawmakers who are opposed to Israel. Bush, whose primary is set for this August, is facing a centrist Democrat opponent in her primary. Bedford noted some polls indicate Bush could lose, similar to Bowman.
Ahead of the 2024 presidential election, Rep. Esther Panitch (D-GA), who is the only Jewish lawmaker in the state, advised President Joe Biden that his handling of the war in Gaza could cost him the state in the Electoral College. The Peach State is considered a swing state, with Biden winning the state over former President Donald Trump by 12,000 votes.