House GOP says good riddance to Bowman as Democrats call ‘red alert’ on primary spending- Washington Examiner

Rep. Jamaal Bowman’s (D-NY) primary loss on Tuesday is being celebrated by House Republicans and some Democrats, while other left-leaning lawmakers are pointing to the influx of big spending in elections as a warning sign for progressive races.

Bowman became the first member of the “Squad” to be ousted after Westchester County Executive George Latimer defeated him 58.4% to 41.6%. The loss of an incumbent delivered a huge blow to House progressives, with the contest raising concerns among Democrats that disaster looms for their other vulnerable candidates who, like Bowman, share anti-Israel sentiments.

For Republicans, who have been mostly united in throwing their full support behind Israel, Bowman’s defeat is a sign that the Democratic conference’s fracturing over the war between the Jewish state and Hamas could boost their chances of keeping and expanding their House majority in 2024.

“Bowman is a reflection of the Democrat party across the Nation and the first of many swift losses,” Rep. Anthony D’Esposito (R-NY), whose race is considered a “toss-up,” told the Washington Examiner. “The next will be Laura Gillen.”

Rep. Derrick Van Orden (R-WI) equated Bowman’s loss to the anticipated defeat of Rep. Bob Good (R-VA), who still awaits a full count of the ballots to see if he lost to GOP challenger John McGuire, who is leading him in votes.

“The only way to stop a bully is to push back hard,” Van Orden told Fox News. “The same thing we did with Bob Good. Bob Good will not be in this Congress next time because he was a bully. He needs to go. It’s time to govern.”

“We can’t govern when we have people acting like Bob Good,” the Wisconsin Republican continued. “Jamaal Bowman, he’s not going to be here anymore. He’s now [the] first member of the Squad. He’s gone. You know why? Because he’s so radical. Even the left got rid of him.”

Many GOP members will not be sad to see Bowman go, particularly in the wake of the congressman’s scandal when he pulled a fire alarm that disrupted a House vote on a critical spending deal last fall. Several House Republicans took to X on Tuesday night to poke fun at Bowman’s loss.

Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY) posted a photo of a fire alarm and said, “In case of emergency … Bye @JamaalBowmanNY!” Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-TX) shared a still photo from security footage of Bowman pulling the fire alarm.

“BREAKING NEWS!!! Jamal Bowman wins renomination. Oh wait … false alarm,” Crenshaw posted on X.

Even some House Democrats, including those who belong to the Congressional Progressive Caucus, are not torn up about Bowman’s defeat. When asked if Bowman’s loss is a loss to the Democratic conference, one House Democrat, who asked for anonymity in order to speak freely, told the Washington Examiner, “Not to me.”

“Whether you’re a progressive, whether you are a New Dem, whether you’re a Blue Dog, I want people with seriousness of purpose around here,” the Democrat said.

While Bowman’s loss can be attributed to redistricting and Latimer’s decades of political work in the district, some Democrats have lamented that their progressive colleague lost his race largely due to the outside spending in New York’s 16th District.

Rep. Cori Bush (D-MO) blamed her fellow progressive’s loss on the “staggering price tag” put on unseating Bowman from AIPAC’s “far-right” allies.

“AIPAC and their allies — backed by far-right Donald Trump megadonors — poured a tidal wave of cash into this primary race showing us just how desperate these billionaire extremists are in their attempts to buy our democracy, promote their own gain, and silence the voices of progress and justice,” Bush said in a statement.

For progressive leaders, the idea that spending in the 16th District’s Democratic primary totaled over $20.5 million should be a wake-up call for Democratic voters and the caucus itself. Progressive caucus Whip Greg Casar (D-TX) told reporters that he blamed Bowman’s defeat on the “unprecedented” spending from AIPAC and other big-business groups that don’t represent the progressives’ districts.

“I think Mr. Bowman’s race opens up the floodgates to potentially tens of millions of dollars being spent in primaries, tens of millions of dollars that aren’t necessarily talking about, in their ads, the issues that that big interest cares about, but about something else,” Casar said.

“If we don’t take this as a red alert moment, that there’s historic and unprecedented spending in one congressional primary, we should take a bigger lesson away from this, then,” the caucus whip added.  “Oh, is this about this one part of the country, or this one other part of the country, or this one particular member? There’s a bigger issue at play as it relates to how our elections work. … What happens if voters just can’t hear both sides because one side just is able to have virtually infinite resources?”

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), a progressive leader in the upper chamber, pointed out that Bowman received 84% of the vote in the Bronx, “a working-class area.”

“He did poorly in the suburbs of Westchester and ended up with 42%,” the Vermont senator said.

“It is an outrage and an insult to democracy that we maintain a corrupt campaign finance system which allows billionaire-funded super PACs to buy elections,” Sanders added. “AIPAC and other super PACs spent over $23 million to defeat Bowman. He spent $3 million. That is a spending gap which is virtually impossible to overcome.”

When asked if leadership should have been more involved in assisting Bowman in his primary, Casar said that he would not speak to the conversations between Bowman and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY).

Rep. Becca Balint (D-VT), vice chairwoman for new members of the progressive caucus, said she anticipates many “Monday morning quarterbacking” about what happened in Bowman’s race.

“It’s too early to tell if it’s an isolated incident or part of a trend,” Balint told the Washington Examiner, adding that she doesn’t think his loss is an “indication that the electorate is not still committed” to progressive ideals.

Looking ahead, Squad Reps. Ilhan Omar (D-MN), Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), and Bush face competitive primaries in August. All three have been vocal about ending the “occupation” of Gaza — a common call among the Squad Democrats as the war continues in the region.

Donors close to AIPAC, Democratic Majority for Israel, and other allied groups have cited Bush’s race, in particular, as a top target for 2024. Bush is facing a challenge from St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Wesley Bell, and her lead is growing precarious, according to recent polling.

A poll from the Mellman Group found that Bell overcame a double-digit deficit to lead Bush 43% to 42%. The attorney leads the congresswoman in job performance and favorability ratings as well.

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When asked if she thinks progressives should change their approach when discussing the Israel-Hamas war, Balint said she thinks both leaders and candidates need to be “really careful” when discussing sensitive topics.

“I can only speak from my experience. I always try to think about, ‘Am I speaking with humanity at the center of the equation, talking with language that [is] bringing the caucus together?’” Balint said. “We need the votes. The stakes are too high, they’re much too high.”