AIPAC vs. Jamaal Bowman: New York Democratic Race Turns Into Referendum on pro-Israel group - U.S. News - Haaretz.com
WASHINGTON – The battle between Democratic Rep. Jamaal Bowman and challenger George Latimer has already become the single-most expensive U.S. House primary in history.
More than $14 million of the $23 million spent on the New York race has come from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee's super PAC United Democracy Project, leading to unprecedented scrutiny over the pro-Israel organization's methods of influencing elections.
Much of AIPAC and UDP's strategy has been well-established by now. It includes using significant funding from Republican megadonors in Democratic primaries, dedicating ads to issues not ostensibly about Israel and running deeply personal attacks that have played a major role in the degrading tenor of the debate surrounding the Israel-Palestine conflict in the United States.
Even though it has used its now tried-and-true playbook in Bowman's June 25 race, AIPAC now finds itself in uncharted waters for several reasons.
For one, the scale of its spending is unprecedented by every metric.
Not only is it by far the most it has spent in the two election cycles it has been involved in, it has spent more in favor of Latimer than any candidate to date, and more against Bowman than any candidate to date.
In turn, the national progressive response to AIPAC has been more significant than ever before. While dramatically smaller in scale compared to AIPAC and UDP spending, Justice Democrats has spent more than $1 million and Working Families Party has spent more than $538,000 on advertising in support of Bowman.
Bowman and many of his progressive allies have accordingly made the race a de facto referendum on AIPAC's role in Washington and the U.S. political process – ironically, frequently putting an organization that has spent unimaginable sums on defense.
This has helped expose the fault lines within the Democratic Party – both when it comes to the debate surrounding the Mideast conflict and the Gaza war, but just as much concerning the racial, generational and power divides within the party.
AIPAC has long earned criticism for disproportionately targeting lawmakers of color. The significant money spent against Bowman – and soon to be spent against fellow Squad member Rep. Cori Bush – have only deepened such suspicions.
Democratic Rep. Cori Bush speaking on Capitol Hill in Washington last month.Credit: Amanda Andrade-Rhoades/Reuters
The pro-Israel group has attempted to defend its record by highlighting its role as the top fundraiser for Congressional Black Caucus members. It also enjoys close relationships with key Black lawmakers like House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries.
"Just because you got a few Black friends doesn't make you an anti-racist organization," Bowman said about AIPAC's line of defense.
Beyond this, the African-American community's relationship with Israel – and Black lawmakers in particular – is under new strain amid the Gaza war.
Black members of Congress were disproportionately targeted in a large-scale Israeli government campaign launched after the start of the Gaza war in hopes of swaying certain segments of public opinion concerning Israel's conduct.
Forty-eight hours after Haaretz reported on the operation, the NAACP issued a significant call for the Biden administration to indefinitely halt weapons shipments to Israel.
"The United States and the international community must be willing to pull the levers of power when appropriate to advance liberation for all. The Middle East conflict will only be resolved when the U.S. government and international community take action, including limiting access to weapons used against civilians," said NAACP President and CEO Derrick Johnson.
Meanwhile, the National Black Empowerment Action Fund said it would spend $500,000 in defeating Bowman, claiming he does not represent the interests of the Black community in his district.
Jamaal Bowman's primary opponent, George Latimer, speaking during a Bring Them Home vigil in White Plains last October.Credit: Frank Becerra Jr./The Journal News / USA Today
"The average Black voter's stance might be defined as 'moderate' – putting safe streets, good schools and good jobs first. Socialism and extremism don't make the cut. Black people aren't socialists. Full stop," group co-founder Darius Jones wrote in the New York Post on Monday. "And that's exactly why, if Bowman's challenge is any bellwether, he and his allies in the so-called Squad may be falling out of favor, fast, in black communities."
Prior to founding this group, Jones served as AIPAC's national African-American constituency director and helps run the new organization alongside fellow AIPAC alum Richard St. Paul.
Bowman himself has used the race to attack Latimer, alleging he failed to push for desegregation while serving as Westchester County executive, doing too little to close the wealth gap between Black and white families.
"This is an example of using race as a weapon," Latimer said in response. "What we need to do is bring people together."
Latimer, however, earned significant criticism for telling Bowman at a separate debate that "your constituency is Dearborn, Michigan, your constituency is San Francisco, California" – which critics considered a dog-whistle attack toward Muslim and Arab Americans.
Bigger-picture issues
While race has frequently reared its head in the campaign, not to mention the greater conversations about Israel, much of the conversation has shifted to bigger-picture issues concerning the future of the Democratic Party and America.
Bowman has undoubtedly leaned increasingly further left in recent weeks as AIPAC has bolstered its spending, using his positions on Israel as the baseline for the party establishment's opposition to him. This included him telling a crowd he is being "attacked by the Zionist regime we call AIPAC."
At their final debate on Tuesday, Bowman challenged Latimer: "Say 'Palestine.' Acknowledge the Palestinian people. Let me see you do that." "I can say the word 'Palestine,'" Latimer responded. "Can you say the word 'truth'?"
The exchange put a fine point on increasingly hostile criticism from Bowman, who accused Latimer of being "in the pocket of Republican billionaires who are racist," adding "he is also not just anti-Black racist, he's anti-Muslim racist."
Latimer, meanwhile, has tried to highlight other policy discrepancies between the two – particularly concerning support for the Biden administration's agenda after Bowman voted against the president's bipartisan infrastructure plan.
This helped earn him support from the Democratic Party establishment – rare for a challenger primarying an incumbent – perhaps most significantly former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
"With [Donald] Trump on the ballot, we need strong, principled Democrats in Congress more than ever," she posted on X. "In Congress, [Latimer] will protect abortion rights, stand up to the NRA, and fight for President Biden's agenda – just like he's always done."
Bowman has responded in turn by highlighting the daylight between Biden and Latimer, who supported tax cuts during the Trump administration. He has leaned on leading national figures in the progressive movement like senators Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, as well as fellow New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, to help him garner support amid the dramatic spending gap.
Latimer, however, has built a strong base of support among local leaders, evident by endorsements and outraising Bowman from donors within the district.