House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) phoned it in for fellow Dem Jamaal Bowman today. Jeffries recorded a robocall for the embattled Bowman, who has steadily lost support from once-reliable backers since his foolish attempt to delay a vote on a stopgap measure in the House by pulling a fire alarm in the Cannon Office Building in October of 2023.
The attrition of support accelerated when Bowman joined members of the "Squad" in support of Palestine over Israel following the October 7th attack. Bowman went so far as to deny the rape of Israeli women and the murder of children during the Hamas invasion, drawing sharp rebukes from the right and left. Jeffries has repeatedly expressed support for Israel.
Bowman held a rally yesterday that had many shaking their heads. His exaggerated body language suggested desperation. Despite big guest speaker names such as Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Bernie Sanders, the rally only drew a tiny crowd.
Once seen as an ideal new-era Dem due to his central casting resumé, Bowman was, in the words of the New York Times, "elected to the House during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, after his primary upset of Eliot L. Engel, a 16-year incumbent backed by Hillary Clinton, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Andrew M. Cuomo, then the governor of New York. He was born in New York City and grew up in public housing before he eventually founded a Bronx middle school, Cornerstone Academy for Social Action, and served as its principal for 10 years."
Bowman faces businessman George Latimer in the primary today. Latimer leads in the polls by 17 points, and is backed by the all-powerful AIPAC. Latimer was recruited by Jewish politicos to run against Bowman due to the latter's anti-Israel stance.
If Bowman falls, he will be the first Squad member to lose a House seat.
