‘Squad’ member Jamaal Bowman targets fellow Dem Ritchie Torres’ Israel support amid primary fight
An embattled “Squad” Democrat facing a hotly contested primary ignited a feud with a neighboring congressman he said is pandering to the pro-Israel lobby to gain political power.
Rep. Jamaal Bowman – an Israel critic who’s trailing moderate challenger George Latimer by 17 percentage points, according to a recent poll – took a shot at Bronx Rep. Ritchie Torres in a podcast last week.
“I think that he’s trying to gain political power for himself towards an ultimate objective,” Bowman told Marc LaMont Hill on the “Night School” podcast last week.
“I don’t know if it’s [for] US Senate. I don’t know what it is,” the Yonkers Democrat said of Torres.
Rep. Jamaal Bowman accused Rep. Ritchie Torres of attempting to “gain political power” by supporting Israel. Mark Vergari/The Journal News / USA TODAY NETWORK
Torres fired back Sunday, telling The Post that Bowman’s opinion is “worse than a rubber stamp” and referenced Bowman’s conviction last year for falsely pulling a fire alarm last year in the Cannon Office building that delayed a vote to avert a government shutdown.
Bowman’s challenger, Westchester County Executive George Latimer, has gained the inside track largely due to the incumbent’s stance on Gaza and a series of other political missteps.
The race is for the 16th Congressional District that takes in much of Westchester and parts of the northern Bronx.
Torres responded by telling The Post that Bowman’s opinion is “worse than a rubber stamp.” Photo by Noam Galai/Getty Images
Bowman suggested that Torres may attempt to run for US Senate at some point. Anadolu via Getty Images
Hill, who is also a critic of the Jewish state, has asked Bowman why Torres is a staunch backer of Israel despite siding with progressives on a host of other issues.
“Ritchie is very calculating in this way … Ritchie – he just seems to be always plotting, always calculating something,” Bowman said.
He said Torres and other Democrats are wary of bucking the pro-Israel position because of the “power of the Israel lobby” whose supporters fill campaign coffers.
But Bowman gave a pass to pro-Israel House Democratic Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, who has already endorsed Bowman’s re-election.
Torres speaking to Nova festival survivor Ofir Amir during a visit to the memorial for the victims of the terror attack in Re’im Israel on April 1, 2024. Photo by Alexi J. Rosenfeld/Getty Images
He said Jeffries seems “authentic” compared to “calculating” Torres.
Torres has so far remained neutral in the Bowman-Latimer race – but issued a withering response to Bowman’s criticism of him. They both were elected to Congress in 2020.
“As for Jamaal Bowman, I care as much about his opinion on me as I do about his opinion on how to properly pull a fire alarm or his opinion on how to remain in Congress,” Torres said Sunday.
Torres poked fun of Bowman for pulling a fire alarm in a Capitol Hill office building.
“His opinion is worse than a rubber stump — it leaves no impression, much like his legislative record or his recent attendance record.”
Torres noted he’s been a staunch backer of Israel for some ten years, noting his visit to the Jewish State as a city councilman in 2015.
Bowman also noted that Torres is not part of the “Squad” that includes liberal Democratic Socialist Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, Rashida Tlaib of Michigan and Cori Bush of Missouri, among others.
“The Squad has a group chat. Ritchie Torres ain’t in it,” Bowman also said on the show.
Torres told The Post four years ago he wouldn’t join the “Squad” because some members support the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement against Israel, which he considers antisemitic.
Bowman casting his ballot on the first day of early voting in Westchester at New Rochelle City Hall Annex on June 15, 2024. Mark Vergari/The Journal News / USA TODAY NETWORK
Bowman is trailing his opponent Westchester County Executive George Latimer by 17 points, according to a recent poll. Tania Savayan/The Journal News / USA TODAY NETWORK
Meanwhile, Bowman has flip-flopped on his alliance with the anti-Israel Democratic Socialists of America, which backs the BDS movement.
He was backed by DSA in 2020 but had a falling out after some members criticized him for visiting Israel and voting for Iron Dome defense funding for the Jewish State.
At one point he claimed he let his membership lapsed, but recently sought and won DSA’s endorsement again – after telling members of the group during a recent meeting that he supported the BDS movement against the Jewish State and now opposes military aid to the country, accusing it of committing “genocide” in Gaza.