(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) Accused “anti-Semite” and Rep. Jamaal Bowman has claimed that his district’s Jewish Americans were the sole reason for his loss in the 2024 primary election.
Bowman is one of the two members of the radical leftist “Squad” who have faced criticism for their controversial anti-Israeli rhetoric, which at times bordered on anti-Semitism.
In an exit interview aired on Spectrum News’s NY1 on Friday, Bowman stated that he was destined to lose his seat due to the religious affiliations of his constituents, even if he had never pulled a fire alarm that landed him in legal trouble.
When asked by reporter Kevin Frey, “Do you think you’d be preparing for another term right now if it weren’t for that fire alarm?” Bowman nearly shouted, “No! No! Hell no!
Bowman added, “I mean, my district is a super pro-Israel district the minute I called for a ceasefire that was the ‘last straw,’ for many in the district. And I say last straw because I beat Eliot Engel, it was a target from that community since then.”
🚨 TODAY: Representatives Cori Bush and Jamaal Bowman have delivered their farewell addresses to Congress and will not be returning. pic.twitter.com/i3jKwI2LJT
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) December 13, 2024
Bowman’s comments refer to his vocal and controversial support for the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip following its invasion of southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. He was among the first lawmakers to demand a ceasefire while Israel was defending itself and trying to rescue hostages.
He also suggested that the years-long dislike of some constituents with Jewish religious views influenced his defeat. In the 2020 Democratic primaries, he defeated Engel, a Jewish man who had represented the district for 16 terms.
Fast-forward to 2024, Bowman was defeated by George Latimer, a Westchester County executive who received nearly $15 million in funding from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC).
Following Hamas’s brutal attack on civilians in Israel, Bowman at times aligned his rhetoric with individuals who supported Hamas.
Bowman claimed that substantiated reports indicating Hamas terrorists committed acts of rape and child murder were “lies” and “propaganda,” though he has since walked back those comments.
He described his primary race as a battle against the “Zionist regime we call AIPAC.”
In October 2023, he pleaded guilty to pulling a false fire alarm, which critics alleged was an attempt to stall a Republican-led session in the House to pass a government funding bill.
