(Headline USA) Former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo mocked embattled “Squad” Rep. Jamaal Bowman this week, accurately predicting Bowman would get “smoked” in his primary election on Tuesday.
BREAKING – YOUR REACTION: Pro-Palestinian congressman and @AOC friend, @JamaalBowmanNY has just now been defeated in New York. pic.twitter.com/pvFzUv49xX
— Simon Ateba (@simonateba) June 26, 2024
The incumbent Bowman was trailing in the polls behind Westchester County Executive George Latimer by double digits leading up to Tuesday’s election and went on to lose the race by a roughly 17 point margin.
It marked the most expensive House race in history, with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee’s super PAC throwing $15 million toward Latimer over Bowman’s anti-Israel rhetoric.
It also notably saw some of the Democrats’ biggest names taking sides in what could be an ominous sign as the rift between pro-Jewish and pro-Hamas factions within the party continues to grow.
Citing Bowman’s opposition to Israel, Cuomo urged New York primary voters to oust the radical progressive, while making a jab at Bowman’s infamous fire-alarm incident.
“Jamaal Bowman should pull the fire alarm again because he is going to be smoked by @LatimerforNY today,” he said in a post on X. “The message is clear: anti-semitism in any and all forms will not be tolerated in New York. And you can’t call yourself a progressive without making progress. Vote!”
Jamaal Bowman should pull the fire alarm again because he is going to be smoked by @LatimerforNY today.
The message is clear: anti-semitism in any and all forms will not be tolerated in New York. And you can’t call yourself a progressive without making progress.
Vote! 🗳️
— Andrew Cuomo (@andrewcuomo) June 25, 2024
Bowman stirred controversy in 2023 when he pulled a fire alarm during a critical government funding vote to avert a shutdown, forcing lawmakers on the floor to evacuate and interrupting the proceedings. Bowman claimed after the fact that he thought the fire alarm was a lever that would open the door he was trying to get through.
Latimer has cited the incident as yet another reason why Bowman should be ousted from Congress, arguing the “Squad” representative hasn’t taken his position seriously.
“[Bowman thinks] if you want to get attention for yourself, you have to say outrageous things,” Latimer said earlier this year. “I’ve got a record of showing you what I do and how I do it. … I offer a different strategy and style, and can back it up with years of accomplishment.”
Bowman held a last-minute rally in the Bronx over the weekend in a desperate attempt to boost his poll numbers, with guest appearances by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio–Cortez, D-N.Y., and Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt.
Among the notable names backing Latimer was failed presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. Both Clinton and Cuomo are suspected to be running shadow campaigns in the hopes of a presidential nod should 81-year-old incumbent Joe Biden falter in the final stretch ahead of the November election.
Some speculate that due to Biden’s lukewarm support for Israel, the majority of New York Jews may gravitate to Republican contender Donald Trump, a political game-changer that could put the Empire State in play for the GOP for the first time in four decades.
