Government & Politics

County Executive Latimer Announces Primary Run Against 16th District Rep. Jamaal Bowman

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Westchester County Executive George Latimer shares the good and the bad COVID news — County Executive George Latimer with Deputy Ken Jenkins

December 5, 2023

This Story Has Been Updated

By Barrett Seaman–

Speculation about Westchester County Executive George Latimer taking on Jamaal Bowman for the Democratic nomination to represent New York’s 16^th Congressional District spilled out from the party’s inner circles to the public domain this week. Articles in City/State and Lohud reported that Latimer has filed a statement of candidacy with the Federal Election Committee, which The Hudson Independent has confirmed. These were followed by a lengthy piece in the Washington Post that also presumes his candidacy.

Several party sources had advised The Indy to wait before publishing a story until Wednesday, when Latimer was expected to release a statement accompanied by a short campaign video, but the likelihood of his entry into the race is now nearing certainty. It is also only part of the story.

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Where the dividing line between CD-16 and CD-17 falls could well affect the balance of power in Congress after the 2024 election.

Latimer’s entry highlights a critical issue: which set of voters will he and Bowman (along with Irvington financier and announced candidate Martin Dolan) be appealing to between now and the June 4 primary? The recommendations by the state’s latest redistricting commission, headed up by Latimer’s Deputy County Executive Ken Jenkins, are now before the state’s court of appeals. Judges are expected to rule at any time as to which of several vastly different versions of the downstate districts will be presented to the state legislature for approval.

CD-16 currently includes the rivertowns from Yonkers through Irvington, most of Greenburgh and a sliver of Tarrytown up as far as Wilson Park. The operative word is “currently,” since where the dividing line between CD-16 and CD-17 falls is still up in the air and could well affect the balance of power in Congress after the 2024 election.

It was not helpful to the incumbent’s cause that a Washington D.C. Superior Court on Wednesday charged Bowman with a misdemeanor for the fire alarm incident in a U.S. Capitol office building that took place on September 30.

CD-17 is a seat currently held by Republican Mike Lawler, who took the 2022 race from Democrat Sean Patrick Maloney and has since managed to walk a tight rope between an electorate that is generally more moderate than he is and his national party, which is decidedly more conservative.

Lawler’s opponent will be Mondaire Jones, the one-term holder of that seat before Maloney unceremoniously forced him aside, because he and other members of the party’s leadership feared that Jones’s association with Alexandria Occasio Cortez and other leftwing progressives in Washington would be fatal in more conservative parts of the district across the river and up into Putnam County.

That calculation backfired, but Mondaire is back at it, running to dislodge Lawler. He has a primary opponent in former Bedford Town Council member Mary Ann Carr, but party operatives rate her chances as slim to none.

If the courts and the legislature in Albany end up shifting parts of Westchester, including villages in the rivertowns, back into CD-17, it would shore up the party’s chances of beating Lawler, but could also change the balance of power in CD-16—at least among Democrats. Westchester as a whole—and its southern communities in particular—leans heavily Democrat, and no Republican is likely to beat either a Jamaal Bowman or a George Latimer in the November general election. Within the Democratic party, however, a CD-16 re-drawn to include larger sections of Yonkers and the Bronx, with their large minority populations, could help Bowman, an African-American whose previous job was as a high school principal in the Bronx. Inclusion of those voters might counter Bowman’s poor standing among Jews and other supporters of Israel, who see his criticism of “war crimes” committed by the Israeli military in Gaza as a betrayal.

The importance of the Jewish vote was highlighted by Latimer’s recent, less-than-coincidental trip to Israel. His prospects were also bolstered in October when 26 rabbis urged him to run against Bowman. “Since being elected,” the rabbis wrote, “Bowman has led the effort to erode support for Israel on Capitol Hill and within the Democratic Party.” Bowman is also likely to feel the brunt of opposition by AIPAC, the American Israeli Political Action Committee, which is rumored to be setting aside large sums to defeat him.

Peter Bernstein, chair of the Westchester/Putnam Working Families Party (WFP), which has already endorsed Bowman, argues that the anti-Israel charges are “undeserved,” calling them a “misrepresentations of what he has said and what he believes.”

“We don’t think that criticizing Israel means he supports Hamas,” said Bernstein. The WFP would prefer to focus on his support for domestic legislation that helps underserved communities, education and the environment.

By contrast, a district that keeps the Town of Greenburgh and other more centrist blocs within CD-16 would most likely benefit Latimer, who is also virtually guaranteed to win big among his hometown constituents along the sound shore.

Latimer touts a strong record as County Executive and has demonstrated wide voter appeal in the county. He came to office in 2017, beating incumbent Rob Astorino by a 57-43 margin. Against Christine Sculti, a less-established Republican rival, he got a whopping 62 percent of the vote in 2021. During his administration, county tax rates have nominally gone down. He drew praise for his even-handed management of the COVID pandemic, and he has been a ubiquitous presence at constituent events throughout the county.

Martin Dolan, a longshot candidate for the CD-16 job, wrote a highly critical commentary on the redistricting process (see https://thehudsonindependent.com/is-this-good-leadership/) in which he accused Latimer of hiding his intentions until the district borders were settled. It now appears that the County Executive is no longer waiting.

Update

On Wednesday morning, as has been widely reported, Latimer issued the following statement with links to his first campaign video:

Democrat George Latimer Launches Campaign for Congress in NY 16

Latimer, a proven progressive vote getter, to focus on message of results over rhetoric against 2 term incumbent Bowman.

Westchester’s Democratic County Executive George Latimer today formally launched his campaign for Congress in New York’s 16th District. Latimer is no stranger to winning tough races, having won his current position by defeating MAGA republican Rob Astorino, and winning tough contests throughout his over thirty-year career in public service from local offices to the state legislature. The district includes a large segment of Westchester as well as a smaller portion of the Bronx, although lines may change due to court-ordered redistricting in the coming months.

Latimer launched his campaign with a video titled “Real Progressive Results. Not Political Rhetoric” which can be seen here, in which he discusses his long history in the district and the work he has done to make lives better for the residents of Westchester and the Bronx. Throughout the campaign Latimer will be contrasting his record of solid progressive achievements on civil rights, the environment, abortion rights, gun violence prevention, infrastructure, LGBTQ+ rights, fiscal responsibility, housing, supporting Israel’s right to defend itself against terrorism, and other issues, versus the incumbent’s divisive and distracting approach to holding office.

“Our country is facing an existential crisis and our very democracy is at risk right now,” said Latimer. “We need our voice in Congress to be someone who brings people together and delivers results on the issues that matter. We need someone who will listen to all voices, not just those who agree with him, and takes those concerns seriously. We need someone more interested in progressive results than showboating on social media. Those who know me know that I am and have always been that kind of elected official, and I look forward to talking to the voters about how we can all do better with new leadership in our Congressional district.”

George Latimer is a lifelong Westchester resident who built his career in public service by delivering unparalleled progressive results for local residents. George’s track record in making Westchester the most progressive County government in the state includes successfully cutting regressive taxes, fighting for civil rights and racial equality, defending a woman’s right to choose, standing up to the NRA to keep guns off our streets, voting for marriage equality, and smartly investing a Green New Deal style infrastructure projects across the County.

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