Israel critic Jamaal Bowman becomes first ‘Squad’ member ousted

Jamaal Bowman during the primary election night watch party on Tuesday - Yuki Iwamura/AP

A leading member of the Left-wing “Squad” of Democrats in the US Congress has lost a costly and bitter re-election battle.

Jamaal Bowman, 48, was routed in a contest for New York’s 16th district that turned into a referendum on progressives’ attitudes toward Israel – and the most expensive House of Representatives primary in American history.

Mr Bowman has emerged as one of Israel’s biggest critics in Congress since he was elected last year, and has been labelled an “Israel hater” by opponents.

At a rally last year, he claimed that reports of women being raped on the Oct 7 massacre last year were anti-Hamas propaganda. He later apologised for the comments.

Mr Bowman has also flirted with 9/11 conspiracy theories – he eventually disavowed his 137-line poem suggesting the World Trade Centre had been blown up by the US government – and was censured by the House last year for triggering a fire alarm that upended a critical vote.

On Tuesday night, he was heavily defeated by George Latimer, a pro-Israel centrist endorsed by Hillary Clinton, whose backers have spent more than $17 million (£12 million) on his campaign.

George Latimer after winning his race against Democratic incumbent Representative Jamaal Bowman on Tuesday - Spencer Platt/Getty Images North America

The American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) spent some $15 million supporting Mr Latimer’s campaign, while the Democratic Majority for Israel (DMFI) spent another $1 million on the challenger.

It makes Mr Bowman the first member of The Squad to lose an election since the group – which includes fellow New York representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez – was formed in 2018. Many of its members are on a target list of pro-Israel groups.

Mark Mellman, a Democrat pollster who founded DMFI, said that Mr Bowman’s defeat would send out a signal to other Israel critics.

“He was bad for the Democratic Party and bad for Israel, that’s someone we don’t really want in Congress … Jamaal Bowman isn’t just an Israel critic. He’s an Israel hater,” he told The Telegraph.

“It sends a message that being pro-Israel is not just wise policy, it’s smart politics. That’s an important message we want to send.”

Mr Latimer, 70, is likely to win the congressional election in November given the heavily Democratic make-up of the district. Mr Bowman will remain the congressman until that vote.

Mr Latimer benefited from an unprecedented flood of outside cash in a primary that highlighted the Democratic Party’s internal divisions over the Israel-Hamas war, while Mr Bowman drew support from progressive groups.

In total, $24.8 million was spent over the course of the campaign – half of which went on anti-Bowman adverts – making it the most expensive House race in history.

Mr Mellman said another important factor in the race had been DMFI’s work to unearth damaging stories about Mr Bowman.

A small team was formed last year to “surface” and brief out controversial comments that the Democrat had made, including his claims about the Oct 7 and 9/11 attacks.

By late March, polls put Mr Bowman 17 points behind his rival – “before a dime had been spent on TV or radio or direct mail”, Mr Mellman said. Mr Bowman was eventually defeated by the same margin on Tuesday.

After his defeat, Mr Bowman accused the pro-Israel groups who backed Mr Latimer of attempting to “brainwash” voters.

“Unfortunately some so-called Democrats are aligning themselves with radical, racist Republicans,” he told supporters.

He repeated his criticisms of Israel and support for Palestinians, adding: “We will never stand for the bombing and killing of babies in Gaza. Our opponents may have won this round at this time in this race. But this will be a battle for our humanity and justice for the rest of our lives.”

AIPAC’s campaign arm, the United Democracy Project, pledged to replicate its defeat of Mr Bowman in races across the country against other Israel critics.

A spokesman said: “Latimer’s victory is another example of how support for the US-Israel alliance is both good policy and good politics.

“UDP will continue to support leaders who promote our partnership with Israel and oppose detractors, regardless of political party.”

So far, it has spent $1.8 million backing Wesley Bell in his fight against Cori Bush, a Missouri congresswoman and Squad member, who has accused Israel of launching a campaign of “ethnic cleansing” in Gaza.

DMFI has endorsed Mr Bell but did not confirm whether it would plough any money into the Missouri race as it had in New York. However, it is expected to intervene in other races later this year.

“We have really serious reservations about Cori Bush,” Mr Mellman said, adding: “We don’t talk about what we do before we do it, because that just helps out opponents.”

Trent Staggs carries a 'Utah For Trump flag' during a rally on June 14 in Orem, Utah - Rick Bowmer/AP

Other members of the Squad, such as Pennsylvania’s Summer Lee, and Squad-endorsed candidates, like California senator Dave Min, have survived primary races funded by pro-Israel groups.

Elsewhere, Tuesday’s primaries saw some bad results for Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee.

Trump endorsed Trent Staggs to replace retiring senator Mitt Romney in Utah but Republican primary voters picked John Curtis, an occasional critic of the former president, instead.

Sheri Biggs is a nurse making her first run for political office - Matt Chastain/Sheri Biggs for Congress Campaign

In South Carolina, Trump’s preferred candidate, pastor Mark Burns, was narrowly beaten by nurse Sheri Biggs in the Republican primary for a congressional seat.

In Colorado, Trump endorsed local Republican party chairman Dave Williams despite him sending an email titled “God Hates Pride” that described LGBTQ+ people as “godless groomers” and “creeps”. He lost heavily in a congressional primary to conservative commentator Jeff Crank.

Across the state, however, there was a more positive outcome for Trump. Republican Congresswoman Lauren Boebert won a primary after she decided to run in a different district from the one where she narrowly won re-election in 2022.

The 37-year-old has built a national profile as a conservative firebrand and staunch supporter of Trump.

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