David Patterson, a former governor and the first black New Yorker to serve as the state’s secretary, is seeking to defeat left-handed “Squad” Congressman Jamaal Bowman in June’s hotly contested Democratic primary. I support Mr. Latimer.
Mr. Patterson’s endorsement — to be formally announced Wednesday — is a coup against Mr. Latimer, a more moderate white Democrat, against Mr. Bowman, a black, left-handed progressive.
Mr. Bowman, 48, has overwhelming support among black voters to fend off a serious challenge from Mr. Latimer, 70, who has been elected to various Westchester County offices since 1987. There is a need to.
The 16th Congressional District includes parts of the northeast Bronx and southern Westchester.
Latimer campaign officials confirmed at a press conference Wednesday that Patterson will support the county executive.
Patterson declined to comment Tuesday.
Bowman has the backing of state Sen. Jamal Bailey, who also chairs the Bronx Democratic Party, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, and neighboring progressive congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a fellow Squad member. There is.
The two-term incumbent and former Bronx middle school principal is a member of the left-wing Working Families Party, some influential labor unions representing nurses and other health care workers, and New York City city workers. It also has the support of 37 district councils, many of which are trade unions. .
Last week, the Jewish Democratic Council of America endorsed Latimer. Mr. Latimer is staunchly pro-Israel, while Mr. Bowman has criticized the Jewish state amid the war in the Gaza Strip following Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack on Israel.
Patterson, who appears on WABC radio, has moved to the right on issues such as crime and border security since leaving public office a decade ago.
He criticized Congressional Speaker Carl Heastie (D-Bronx) for refusing to support tougher penalties for shoplifters who assault retail workers, and criticized President Biden’s poor response to the border and immigration crisis. denounced.
