Showdown in New York: the most expensive primary in history
Pro-Israel lobby poured funding into campaign against Jamaal Bowman, but don't count out his own contribution to his defeat

The New York primary may come to be seen as a key tipping point for the Democratic Party, said Li Zhou on Vox. Last week, Jamaal Bowman, a member of the ultra-progressive faction in Congress known as "the Squad", and a fierce critic of Israel, lost the race to George Latimer – a pro-Israel moderate.
It was a contest that highlighted stark divisions among Democrats over the war in Gaza. Bowman had received strong support from fellow squad member Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and from the veteran senator Bernie Sanders, who called the primary "one of the most important elections in the modern history of this country". While some might challenge Sanders over that claim, what is certainly true is that it was the most expensive congressional primary in history. The American Israel Political Action Committee (AIPAC) funnelled some $15 million into the campaign.
The "obscene sums" spent on defeating Bowman will "serve as a warning to other politicians about the cost of breaking with Washington's pro-Israeli political consensus", said Michelle Goldberg in The New York Times. In one sense, his defeat is not surprising. The district, comprising a slice of the Bronx and parts of suburban Westchester County, is heavily Jewish. And Bowman has been "reckless" in his language about Gaza. He has "fallen into the left-wing habit of using 'Zionist' as an insult", and he stupidly dismissed reports of Israeli women being raped during Hamas's 7 October raid on Israel as a "lie" used for "propaganda". (He later apologised.) Nevertheless, it will be a shame if his defeat stops Democrats voicing legitimate qualms about the Gaza conflict. And the race has set a worrying precedent for "big money interference in local politics".
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
It suits Bowman and his supporters to blame his loss on AIPAC money, said Liz Wolfe in Reason, but it's not that simple. His strident criticism of Israel certainly "didn't play well", and nor did his "far-left progressivism", following a spike in street crime. Bowman is the Democratic version of his fellow New York demagogue Donald Trump, said Dana Milbank in The Washington Post. Like Trump, he has a history of foul-mouthed public rants, of "playing the martyr" and peddling conspiracy theories (such as that 9/11 was an inside job). But while the Republicans have embraced Trump, the Democrats have tired of Bowman's act and now given him the boot. "Good riddance."
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
'"Andor" examines all sides of how empires operate'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Justin Klawans, The Week US
-
DHS chief Kristi Noem's purse stolen from eatery
Speed Read Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem's purse was stolen while she dined with family at a restaurant in Washington, D.C.
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
Harvard sues Trump over frozen grant money
Speed Read The Trump administration withheld $2.2 billion in federal grants and contracts after Harvard rejected its demands
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
Trump tariffs place trucking industry in the crosshairs
IN THE SPOTLIGHT As the White House barrels ahead with its massive tariff project, American truckers are feeling the heat from a global trade war
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US
-
Trade war with China threatens U.S. economy
Feature Trump's tariff battle with China is hitting U.S. businesses hard and raising fears of a global recession
By The Week US
-
Corruption: The road to crony capitalism
Feature Trump's tariff pause sent the stock market soaring — was it insider trading?
By The Week US
-
How 'China shock 2.0' will roil global markets
Feature An overflow of Chinese goods is flooding the global market. Tariffs won’t stop it.
By The Week US
-
Retribution: Trump calls for prosecution of critics
Feature Trump targets former officials who spoke out against him, sending a warning to future whistleblowers
By The Week US
-
'From his election as pope in 2013, Francis sought to reform'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Justin Klawans, The Week US
-
Merz's coalition deal: a 'betrayal' of Germany?
Talking Point With liberalism, freedom and democracy under threat globally, it's a time for 'giants' – but this is a 'coalition of the timid'
By The Week UK
-
The anger fueling the Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez barnstorming tour
Talking Points The duo is drawing big anti-Trump crowds in red states
By Joel Mathis, The Week US