Latimer Takes on Rep. Jamaal Bowman in Primary Contest

Westchester County executive George Latimer Monday filed paperwork for a Democratic primary challenge to progressive Rep. Jamaal Bowman who has raised hackles with harsh criticism of Israel’s war with Hamas.

Latimer, 70, a popular two-term incumbent, said he intends to run for the NY-16 seat against Bowman, a charismatic former Bronx middle school principal who has represented a big chunk of the district for for two terms.Underlining the emphasis on Israel, Latimer made the filing just days after returning from a solidarity trip to the Jewish state.Bowman, an unapologetic progressive, has called on Israel to halt its military campaign in Gaza and says the U.S. should pressure its ally to end its occupation of Palestinian lands and to negotiate an independent Palestinian state.Bowman also earned unwanted publicity last fall when he was caught on videotape pulling a fire alarm in a Capitol Hill office building in what Republicans claimed was an act of political gamesmanship during a vote on a stopgap spending plan.Bowman pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor but was cleared by the House ethics panel.Latimer, who won his second term as Westchester executive last year in a romp, has so far steered away from criticizing Bowman by name but that will surely change now that he is in the race.

Latimer, who won his second term as Westchester executive last year in a romp, has so far steered away from criticizing Bowman by name but that will surely change now that he is in the race. The white Roman Catholic septuagenarian told the News he doesn’t “fit the demographic profile” of a progressive leader, but insists he has racked up a string of policy wins and has helped lead Democrats to remarkable dominance in suburban WestchesterBowman unseated longtime Rep. Eliot Engel in a fierce 2020 primary fight in which he portrayed himself as a progressive alternative to the veteran congressman.To sum up (token count: 319; target: 250)