Politicians from both parties celebrated the crushing primary defeat of Rep. Jamaal Bowman, a member of the Progressive Squad, to moderate Democrat Rep. George Latimer as a stunning indictment of the far left.
“Just because someone is a little to the left is not a reason to run against someone. It just means they’re taking positions on issues that don’t actually serve their constituents,” former New York Gov. David Paterson, a Democrat, told The Post about Bowman’s double-digit defeat.
“It’s more of an ideological thing than a service to the people who sent you there.”
Bowman, who was first elected in 2020 to represent the 16th District, is the first Squad member to lose his job following the most expensive House primary in history in terms of advertising spending.
The former Empire State governor also slammed Bowman’s actions ahead of the primary, including a last-minute rally in the Bronx where Bowman pranced around on stage and vowed to show the opposition “who we really are.”
“He was too busy running around onstage, swearing, setting off fire alarms and issuing completely false press releases,” Patterson scoffed.
“We can tolerate people who have different points of view and are a little extreme, but what we can tolerate is coded language that was actually anti-Semitic,” he added, referring to Bowman’s controversial stance on the war between Israel and Hamas.
“When you do that, karma comes your way. You know what they say about karma.”
Bowman came under fire in November for saying there was “no evidence” that Israeli women were raped by Hamas terrorists during the Oct. 7 attacks. He apologized for the comments last week.
Former Republican Rep. Lee Zeldin echoed Paterson’s assessment of Bowman’s defeat.
“This anti-American, Jew-hating brigade will be one extremist member short come January 2025,” the former gubernatorial candidate said.
“Democrats across the country have been warned: Americans do not stand for the anti-Semitic, pro-criminal, high-tax, open-border, anti-business policies promoted by the likes of Rashida Tlaib, Ilhan Omar, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Jamaal Bowman,” he added.
“Our country will be stronger knowing that Congress will no longer be dishonored by his presence.”
New York Republican Party Chairman Ed Cox also said “goodbye” to the progressive lawmaker.
“Jamaal Bowman has just faced the consequences of his disgraceful behavior. From his childish fire alarm prank to his blatant anti-Semitic comments to his most recent public outbursts, Bowman has repeatedly demonstrated that he is unfit for public office,” Cox’s statement read.
“All socialists in Congress and state legislatures should be barred from public office as well.”
Former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo is also a Democrat. Shared your thoughts about XThere he blasted Bowman as the political equivalent of a pre-teen.
“Tonight, the middle school student who pulled the fire alarm and then carried it out while denying that rape is a weapon of war has lost. And progress has won,” the Democrat said, referring to an incident last year when Bowman famously pulled the fire alarm to avoid a vote on a government shutdown.
“You can’t be a true progressive without making ‘progressions’. Now you can!” he added.
Hours before the election, Governor Cuomo warned Bowman that he “maybe he should sound the fire alarm again” because Latimer would be “running smoke.”
Meanwhile, Republican Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky, who famously sparred with Bowman over gun control, used Bowman’s defeat to return to the topic and poke fun at left-leaning lawmakers.
“I’m going to miss the casual hallway chats.” Massey wrote X alongside footage of the brawl..
In March 2023, Bowman and Massey got into an argument over the aftermath of a shooting at a Nashville Christian school that left three children and three adults dead.
The heated exchange began when Bowman called his Republican colleagues “cowards” for not supporting stricter gun control measures.
“Those guys are really cowards. Cowards,” Bowman yelled.
Massie, a member of the Second Amendment Caucus, argued that arming teachers would be an effective way to curb school shootings.
“You know, there has never been a mass shooting in a school where teachers have been allowed to carry guns,” Massey argued.
“Carry a gun?” Bowman scoffed. “More guns, more deaths!”
Bowman later shared a video of the exchange on his social media, writing, “Republicans won’t do anything about gun violence but try telling me to calm down.”
