leader of Republican Party of New York The 2018 celebration marked the first ouster of a member of the “Squad” since the progressive coalition’s founding, when Rep. Jamaal Bowman, D-N.Y., suffered a double-digit primary defeat to Westchester County Executive George Latimer, a pro-Israel liberal Democrat.
“Jamal gets rid of him. Every socialist in Congress and the state legislature must be removed from public office,” New York GOP Chairman Ed Cox said in a statement Wednesday. “Jamal Bowman has just faced the consequences of his outrageous actions. From his childish fire alarm stunt to his blatant anti-Semitic comments and his recent public outbursts, Bowman has shown time and again that he is unfit for office.”
During his speech Tuesday night, Bowman apologized for his comments. Viral, abusive rally in the Bronx over the weekend, but in doing so, repeatedly criticized the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), a pro-Israel advocacy group that reportedly spent nearly $15 million in an effort to remove a “Squad” member accused of anti-Semitic rhetoric.
“I want to apologize, a public apology, because, you know, sometimes I use foul language. I’m sorry,” Bowman told a crowd of supporters after his loss. “But… I think, that’s not… how do I say this? We should not be well-accommodated with a sick society. We should be outraged. We should be outraged when a dark money super PAC is given $20 million to brainwash people into believing something that’s not true. We should be outraged about that. We should be outraged when, unfortunately, some so-called Democrats are aligning themselves with radical, racist, right-wing Republicans.”
Meanwhile, in a post on X, AIPAC congratulated Latimer “for his stunning victory over an anti-Israel critic.”
AIPAC said, “This victory of a strong pro-Israel candidate is a major victory for the Democratic mainstream, which stands with the Jewish state, and a defeat for the extremist faction.”
House Democrat becomes first Squad member to be defeated in primary battle
“So far this cycle, 100% of AIPAC-backed Democrats have won,” the group said in a separate post.being pro-Israel There is good policy and good politics!”
Westchester County Executive George Latimer speaks at his election night party on Tuesday, June 25, 2024, in White Plains, New York. (AP Photo/Gina Moon)
Bowman’s speech on Tuesday night demonstrated that His socialist views and criticized Israel’s war against Hamas militants in Gaza.
“We know it’s our responsibility and it’s important for us to work together in solidarity and coalition to build a multiracial, multi-background, multiethnic democracy that works for everybody,” he said. “We will never stand for the bombing and killing of children in Gaza. We will never stand for the bombing and killing of children in the Bronx … We will never stand for Western imperialism in Honduras or Guatemala or here.”
“We are a union tribe that believes an end to the forever wars is possible and necessary,” he said. “We will continue to fight to tax the rich. We know the rich must pay their fair share. We cannot support corporate tax breaks, and we want and demand universal child care … and will continue to fight the evils of capitalism, militarism and racism.”
Rep. Jamaal Bowman, D-N.Y., speaks during a primary-night watch party in Yonkers, N.Y., on Tuesday, June 25, 2024 (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
Latimer, meanwhile, greeted his win with a message of unity.
“Tonight we’re going to turn a page, and we’re going to say we believe in including everyone in our representation. You’re included, no matter what your demographic is. It doesn’t matter what your age is, what your skin color is, your religion, sexual identity, whether you’re right-handed or left-handed, whether you’re a Mets fan or a Yankees fan,” Latimer joked.
“We go to Washington, we’re one of 435. But we’re not alone. You know, there are good men and women in Washington who feel the same way as we do, and we have to find each other and join each other. We have to look at the arguments of the far-right and the far-left and say you cannot destroy this country with your rhetoric and your arguments,” he said, drawing applause from the crowd. “We have to have unity across that continuum, and if you have a strong belief, you must still work with others who don’t share that belief because America hangs in the balance.”
Westchester County Executive George Latimer poses with a supporter at his election night party in White Plains, NY, on Tuesday, June 25, 2024 (AP Photo/Gina Moon)
Bowman said he wanted to tax the wealthy, while Latimer told supporters, “I don’t want us to demonize anybody and that’s something I see happening. There are men and women who have accomplished something and have resources because of those accomplishments. Let’s make sure they are part of our work and not demonized, because we want to see jobs and opportunities for everybody.”
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“We have to fight to make sure that we don’t demonize each other, and we have to remember that we are all Americans, and our shared future is interconnected. And if we think that way, then the problems that we see — they are serious problems, climate change is a serious problem, we have issues that we need to consider.” Dealing with immigration“The serious issues — we’re bound by a common future,” Latimer said. “So we work on those problems together. We debate, we argue, we find a way to come together. This country can’t afford to be broken into little pieces, and every single representative has to understand the need for unity so that we can move forward as a nation.”
Fox News’ Tamara Gitt contributed to this report.
