Former Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton endorsed the primary opponent of far-left “Squad” member Rep. Jamaal Bowman, a two-term New York congressman.
The Democratic challenger, Westchester County Executive George Latimer, got the nod on X from the former first lady, senator and secretary of state.
“With Trump on the ballot, we need strong, principled Democrats in Congress more than ever. In Congress, @LatimerforNY will protect abortion rights, stand up to the NRA, and fight for President Biden’s agenda—just like he’s always done,” Mrs. Clinton wrote. “Make a plan to vote by June 25th!”
Mr. Latimer, in response to the endorsement, said, “Her voice gives even more momentum to our grassroots campaign, which keeps gaining strength because we stand strongly and honestly for our values and for our belief in delivering meaningful results for the communities we serve.”
Other Democratic Party establishment figures also are backing Mr. Latimer, who is running double-digits ahead of Mr. Bowman.
Former New York Democratic Rep. Mondaire Jones, who is running for office again and previously served beside Mr. Bowman in the Congressional Black Caucus, recently threw his support behind Mr. Latimer.
Mr. Latimer and Mr. Bowman have been touting their marquee Democratic endorsements to impress the party’s voters in the 16th District, which covers a sliver of the Bronx and part of Westchester County, including White Plains, Yonkers and New Rochelle.
Mr. Bowman’s big-name endorsements include a who’s who of far-left lawmakers such as democratic socialist Sen. Bernard Sanders of Vermont, Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and “Squad” leader Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York.
Mr. Bowman’s reelection campaign, which is also trailing Mr. Latimer in fundraising, got more bad news this week when a poll showed the incumbent was 17 points behind in the race.
The strain is begging to show on Mr. Bowman, who took a swing at Mr. Latimer during an interview with Politico.
“He’s in the pocket of Republican billionaires who want to take our voting rights, our reproductive rights, affirmative action and who are racist,” Mr. Bowman said. “And he also is not just anti-Black racist, he’s anti-Muslim racist.”
The candidates faced one another Tuesday on the debate stage, where Mr. Latimer accused his rival of neglecting White and Asian residents in the district.
“You don’t mention people who are not Black or brown. There’s a whole district, Jamaal, that you’ve ignored and the district knows you’ve ignored it,” Mr. Latimer said.
The race is playing out against a broader struggle in the Democratic Party between the pro-Israel establishment and far-left rebels who are pro-Palestinian.
Mr. Latimer has received support from Israel pro-Israel advocacy organizations, particularly AIPAC, which have suggested Mr. Bowman uses antisemitic tropes and conspiracy theories.
• Kerry Picket can be reached at kpicket@washingtontimes.com.