Former Secretary of State and Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton has jumped into the fray in one of the nation’s most contentious primary, endorsing a primary challenger to “squad” member Jamaal Bowman (D-N.Y.).
In a statement posted to Twitter, Clinton said, “With Trump on the ballot, we need strong, principled Democrats in Congress more than ever. In Congress, [George Latimer] will protect abortion rights, stand up to the NRA, and fight for President Biden’s agenda – just like he’s always done.”
Clinton’s endorsement comes as multiple recent polls have shown Bowman trailing more centrist challenger George Latimer by almost 20 points in the hotly contested race, in which early voting has already begun.
Bowman, who is a member of the extremist progressive “squad” faction in the House, embarrassed himself and his constituents late last year when he was caught on video pulling a fire alarm in a childish and futile attempt to prevent the House from voting on a spending bill. Although Bowman initially implausibly claimed he pulled the fire alarm on accident, he later pled guilty to a misdemeanor charge stemming from the incident and was censured by the House in December.
The New York congressman also faced blowback from his voters when it was discovered that his old personal blog featured numerous conspiracy theories about the 9/11 attacks, suggesting that the World Trade Center buildings were actually destroyed in a controlled explosion.
In a predictable refrain, Bowman’s squad colleagues rallied to his defense after the fire alarm incident, and have likewise rallied to save his seat, donating their own campaign funds to help with his re-election and holding rallies on his behalf.
While many political observers have noted that Bowman may have simply alienated voters in his district with his extremist policies and embarrassing personal incidents, Bowman for his part believes that blame belongs elsewhere; specifically, with the Jews. In a sympathetic interview with the extremist progressives at Democracy Now, Bowman blamed AIPAC, which he called a “racist organization” which is “trying to come in and buy this seat from a majority-minority community with their first Black representative finally speaking up for justice, equality and our collective humanity.”
“It’s really, really gross,” Bowman continued.
Early voting began today in the race, and will continue through June 23rd. In-person voting will happen on June 25th.