In a surprising turn of events, Rep. Jamaal Bowman, D-N.Y., a member of the left-wing "Squad," lost his primary election on Tuesday, leading to a wave of outrage from liberal media commentators and activists.
They pointed fingers at the American Israel Public Affairs Committee's (AIPAC) involvement in the race, according to Fox News.
Mehdi Hasan, former MSNBC host and founder of Zeteo, expressed his disappointment on social media, stating, "One of the House Democrats to come out for a ceasefire last year is defeated." He continued, "Replaced by a new House Democrat, backed by AIPAC, who deploys racist dogwhistles and refuses to criticize Benjamin Netanyahu." Hasan further lamented, "Congress just got a lot worse than it already is."
Bowman was defeated by George Latimer in the Democratic Primary for New York's 16th congressional district. The outspoken Bowman, known for his support for Palestinians amid the Gaza conflict and accusations against Israel of committing genocide, claimed that AIPAC had manipulated voters. "We should be outraged when a super PAC of dark money can spend $20 million to brainwash people into believing something that isn't true. We should be outraged about that," Bowman stated.
The American Israel Public Affairs Committee, a well-funded pro-Israel group, had backed Latimer, spending approximately $14 million on his campaign. This led Nina Turner, a former surrogate for Sen. Bernie Sanders' presidential campaigns, to comment, "AIPAC bought another member of Congress."
Rep. Mark Pocan, D-Wis., also criticized AIPAC's involvement, suggesting that Bowman's loss was unrelated to the Israel-Gaza situation. Despite the support from Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, Bowman's campaign fell short. At a rally in The Bronx, Bowman declared, "We are going to show f------ AIPAC, the power of the motherf------ South Bronx!"
Wajahat Ali, a columnist for the Daily Beast, expressed concern over AIPAC's influence, stating, "Regardless of your opinion on Bowman, you shouldn't celebrate an interest group, in this case AIPAC and its big donors, spending a historic $14.5 million in a primary race. Probably not the best thing for democracy."
Sunjay A Muralitharan, the National Vice President of College Democrats of America, congratulated AIPAC on their victory, while Cliff Albright, a co-founder of Black Voters Matter, criticized the organization. Ravi Mangla of the New York Working Families Party suggested that if AIPAC's issues were popular, "they wouldn't have to spend $17 million to take out a public school principal."
Dana Milbank of The Washington Post compared Bowman to Trump, stating, "This is the story of two New York demagogues. Both men have a history of bigotry, bullying, law breaking, promoting bogus conspiracy theories, engaging in obscene public rants and playing the martyr." Milbank highlighted Bowman's controversial decision to pull a fire alarm during a crucial House vote and his dismissal of reports of Hamas attackers assaulting Israeli women as "lie" and "propaganda."
The defeat of Bowman, a prominent figure in the left-wing "Squad," and the subsequent reactions reveal the deep-seated tensions within the Democratic Party and the influence of interest groups like AIPAC. As the dust settles, the implications of this election result on the party's future direction and the role of such organizations in shaping political outcomes will continue to be a topic of discussion.
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