'Squad' Member Targeted by His Own Party, Down Big Against Opponent
The “squad” may be about to get one fire-alarm-puller smaller.
According to polling data obtained by the New York Post, Democratic Rep. Jamaal Bowman of New York — one of the annex members of the “squad” added after the 2020 elections — is down by the better part of 20 points to his primary challenger, Westchester County Executive George Latimer.
The poll, which the outlet obtained Wednesday, showed Latimer up 52 percent to 35 percent among potential primary voters in the 16th Congressional District, which encompasses the northeast Bronx and south Westchester County.
It gets worse when you look at regular primary voters, as well.
“Among Democrats who voted in at least three of the last four primaries, Latimer’s lead grows to 21 percentage points — 56% to 35%, according to the survey conducted by veteran Democratic pollster Mark Mellman for the pro-Latimer Democratic Majority for Israel,” the Post reported.
“Among Democrats who say they know both Latimer and Bowman — 76% of the primary electorate– Latimer’s lead expands even further to 26 points (60% to 34%).”
The 70-year-old Latimer is a longtime Democrat functionary who’s been kicking around Westchester politics since the 1980s. He is no profile in courage — except in perhaps taking out Bowman — but he has enough name recognition without negatives attached to his political brand to garner a 68 percent positive rating in the poll versus 18 percent who have a negative view of him.
“In comparison, only 36% of respondents had a positive view of Bowman’s work in Congress while 55% have a negative view,” the Post noted.
“Latimer does 32 points better on the positive side, while Bowman’s negatives are a massive 37 points higher than Latimer’s,” Mellman told the Post.
“Very few unindicted elected officials receive such strongly negative ratings from their co-partisans,” the pollster said.
So, how did Bowman get so unpopular aside from being too liberal even for New York City and its immediate suburbs?
Well, let’s start with his enmity toward the state of Israel and constant pressure for an immediate cease-fire in the war against a terrorist organization that organized the most brutal pogrom against Jews since World War II:
We must do everything in our power to end this ongoing violence in Israel and Gaza and proceed on the basis of recognizing our shared humanity. I’m proud to cosponsor this Ceasefire Now resolution with my colleagues to prevent an escalating humanitarian crisis and pursue peace. https://t.co/Fk3Z20k6ZY
— Congressman Jamaal Bowman (@RepBowman) October 16, 2023
I’m so grateful for the rabbis and advocates at Jewish Voice for Peace who spoke with me about the importance of an immediate and lasting ceasefire. It’s clear that we have a shared goal of safety for Palestinians and Israelis to save as many lives as possible. pic.twitter.com/DUpV4yALbC
— Congressman Jamaal Bowman (@RepBowman) March 14, 2024
It’s worth noting that this is why a PAC led by Mellman has endorsed and supported Bowman’s challenger as well as the challenger to another embattled “squad” member, Missouri Rep. Cori Bush, Axios reported.
Bowman’s issues go further than that, however.
Last year, he pleaded guilty to pulling a fire alarm in the Cannon House Office Building in Washington. By pulling the alarm, he was able to delay a vote regarding a deal to avoid a government shutdown.
Bowman insisted it was unintentional — although if he expects us to buy that, he also expects us to buy that he can’t read warning signs and doesn’t know how fire alarms work. Either should be disqualifying.
Nobody “unintentionally” pulls a fire alarm. Democrat Jamaal Bowman was previously a school principal. He knows EXACTLY how fire alarms work. He committed a felony as a sitting member of Congress. Nobody is above the law. pic.twitter.com/m7Fh6rBC0r
— Savannah (@BasedSavannah) September 30, 2023
Furthermore, while the New York City area has been one of the hardest hit by the Biden administration’s border crisis, the congressman continues to echo far-left rhetoric and policies on illegal immigration:
Proud to join @RepEspaillat, @RepChuyGarcia, @SenWarren, @SenGillibrand and my colleagues to urge USCIS to prevent hundreds of thousands of migrants from losing their work permits.
Migrants deserve uninterrupted access to work to contribute to our vibrant local economies. https://t.co/qSdyWamUUV
— Congressman Jamaal Bowman (@RepBowman) April 1, 2024
No human is illegal. We have to be very intentional in the language we use to describe human beings. Careless & inflammatory language only creates fear & animosity of vulnerable groups and aligns with MAGA extremist playbooks. We can do better by centering our shared humanity.
— Congressman Jamaal Bowman (@RepBowman) March 8, 2024
In short, while the poll might have been conducted by a pro-Latimer organization, the numbers track: Many New Yorkers don’t want to be represented by a pro-Hamas alarm-pulling miscreant who is more concerned with the language being used regarding illegal immigrants than he is about illegal immigration.
Nor is he the only “squad” member in trouble: A February poll showed Bush down 22 points to Wesley Bell, prosecuting attorney in St. Louis County.
📊 MO-1 — Democratic Primary
• Wesley Bell – 50%
• Cori Bush – 28%
• Maria Chapelle Nadal – 4%
—
Undecided: 18%• @missouriscout | 401 LV | 2/7-9
• Remington Res. Group (R) – #29 (2.6/3.0)https://t.co/8bmUdRMt7I pic.twitter.com/AFgdLRTKDI— InteractivePolls (@IAPolls2022) February 11, 2024
Support for Israel isn’t the only thing torpedoing Bush’s poll numbers, either. After years of spending exorbitant amounts of taxpayer money on personal security, it turns out her primary bodyguard was in a romantic relationship with her and is now her husband.
So, in other words, not only is the march of the far-left Justice Democrats not as inevitable as once thought, but the “squad” soon might be down two members.
Part of it is because of personal scandal, of course, but just as big of a part is progressive policies that sound great to voters until they’re put into place.
Given these poll numbers, pretty soon we might be holding fundraisers for poor, unemployed Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez — and not just for her abuela.
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