The leader of New York’s Republican Party celebrated the first ouster of a “Squad” member since the progressive coalition’s inception in 2018, after Rep. Jamaal Bowman, D-N.Y., suffered a double-digit primary defeat to Westchester County Executive George Latimer, a pro-Israel moderate Democrat.
“Good riddance, Jamaal. Every socialist in Congress and the State Legislature should likewise be rooted out of public office,” New York GOP Chair Ed Cox said in a statement Wednesday. “Jamaal Bowman just faced the consequences of his disgraceful actions. From his childish fire alarm stunt to his blatant anti-Semitic remarks and his latest public meltdown, Bowman has repeatedly shown he is unfit for office.”
During his concession speech Tuesday night, Bowman issued an apology for his viral, profanity-laced rally in the Bronx over the weekend, but in doing so, repeated criticism of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), the pro-Israel advocacy group that reportedly spent nearly $15 million in an effort to unseat the “Squad” member accused of spewing antisemitic rhetoric.
“I want to make an apology, a public apology, for, you know, sometimes using foul language. I’m sorry,” Bowman told a crowd of supporters following his defeat. “But… I think, it is not… how do I want to say this? We should not be well-adjusted to a sick society. We should be outraged. We should be outraged when a super PAC of dark money gets fed $20 million to brainwash people into believing something that isn’t 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.”
In a post on X, AIPAC, meanwhile, congratulated Latimer “on his resounding victory over an anti-Israel detractor.”
“This triumph by a strong pro-Israel candidate represents a major victory for the Democratic mainstream that stands with the Jewish state and a defeat for the extremist fringe,” AIPAC said.
HOUSE DEMOCRAT BECOMES THE FIRST SQUAD MEMBER EVER DEFEATED IN A PRIMARY BATTLE
“100% of AIPAC-endorsed Democrats have won so far this cycle,” the group added in a separate post. “Being pro-Israel is good policy and good politics!”
Westchester County Executive George Latimer speaks at his election night party in White Plains, N.Y., Tuesday, June 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Jeenah Moon)
Bowman’s speech on Tuesday night demonstrated his socialist views and criticism of Israel’s war against Hamas terrorists in Gaza.
“We know that it is incumbent upon us, and it is imperative for us to work together in solidarity, in coalition to build a multiracial, multibackground, multiethnic democracy that works for everyone,” he said. We will never stand for the bombing and killing of babies in Gaza. We will never stand for the killing and bombing of children in the Bronx…. We will never stand for Western imperialism in Honduras or Guatemala or here.”
“We are a union race that believes the end of the forever wars is possible and necessary,” he added. “We will continue to fight to tax the rich. We know the rich need to pay their fair share. We cannot support corporate tax breaks, and we want and demand universal childcare…. And to continue to fight the evils of capitalism, militarism and racism.”
Rep. Jamaal Bowman, D-N.Y. speaks during a primary-night watch party Tuesday, June 25, 2024, in Yonkers, N.Y. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
Latimer, meanwhile, welcomed his victory with a message of unity.
“Tonight we turn a page, and we say that we believe in inclusion of everybody in our representation. That you are included, no matter what your demographic is. Doesn’t matter your age, the color of your skin, your religion, sexual identity, whether you’re a right hander or left hander, whether you’re a Met fan or a Yankee fan,” Latimer joked.
“We go to Washington, we’re one of 435. But we’re not the only one. You know, good men and women in Washington who feel the same way we do, and we have to find each other and link with each other. We have to look at arguments of the far right and the far left and say you cannot destroy this country with your rhetoric and your arguments,” he said, garnering cheers from the crowd. “We have to have unity all across that continuum, and if you hold a strong belief, you still must work with other people don’t share that belief because America hangs in the balance.”
Westchester County Executive George Latimer takes a photo with a supporter at his election night party, Tuesday, June 25, 2024 in White Plains, N.Y. (AP Photo/Jeenah Moon)
While Bowman said he wanted to tax the rich, Latimer told his supporters, “I don’t want us to vilify anybody and I see some of that. There are men and women who’ve accomplished things and have resources because of those accomplishments. Let’s make sure that they’re part of what we’re doing instead of being vilified, because we want to have the growth for jobs and for opportunity for everyone.”
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“We have to fight to make sure that we do not vilify each other, and that we remember that we’re all Americans, and that our common future is bound together. And if we think that way, that the problems that we see – they’re serious problems, climate change is a serious problem, we have issues to deal with immigration, serious issues – we’re bound together by a common future,” Latimer said. “So we work on those problems together. We argue, we debate, we find a way to come together. This country cannot afford to splinter into little pieces, and every single representative has to understand the necessity for unity so that we can move forward as a nation.”
Fox News’ Tamara Gitt contributed to this report.