Latimer, Bowman Clash on Israel in Contentious Congressional Primary

The hotly contested Democratic primary in the 16^th Congressional District has received national attention, pitting two-term incumbent Jamaal Bowman against Westchester County Executive George Latimer.

It has become a contentious and racially edgy election for voters in the northern Bronx and southern half of Westchester. Bowman is part of “The Squad,” an informal group of nine progressive House members who challenge the party establishment.

Latimer has held political offices for 36 years as a former local councilman, county legislator, assemblyman and state senator before being elected as county executive in 2017.

Israel-Hamas War

While many issues have been raised, the split between the two men on the Israel-Hamas war has roiled many Democratic voters in the district.

Bowman said that the proposed ceasefire agreement is “just bullet points on a document.”

“I’d love to see a permanent ceasefire now, today, and the immediate release of all the hostages,” Bowman said. “We need to immediately bring in humanitarian aid because famine is setting in in Gaza.”

Bowman is opposed to sending additional weapons to Israel at this time because he called the situation “plausible genocide.”

“We need to be very clear with Israel that if they want us to support them, there must be a permanent ceasefire,” he said. “Ultimately, I’d love to see the U.S., Israel and Palestinian leaders sitting at the table, coming together to form a two-state solution. The killing in Gaza has gone on for 75 years in a senseless war. We need peace.”

Latimer said the proposed ceasefire agreement appears to be a workable plan, which involves immediate release of all hostages and hostage remains, the end of military action and delivery of humanitarian aid, which has to be done. He said he trusts the Biden administration to work through the delicate process and help get the key players to the table.

“Core to the agreement is we need a reliable third party – not Hamas – but a group from an Arab organization to deliver that aid that can get to the civilian population,” Latimer said. “I have confidence in the Biden team, and because we’re negotiating with international players, we have to give the negotiators flexibility to lay out a plan that’s a combination of rewards and punishments.”

Progressives have charged that the Latimer campaign has accepted about $11.5 million from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), which supports moderate Republican and Democratic candidates who openly support Israel.

Latimer said AIPAC has been presented as an evil entity and Bowman’s allies attempted to paint him as an ultra-conservative. AIPAC has also supported House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and various progressive members of Congress such as Gregory Meeks, Grace Ming and Ritchie Torres.

“Taking money from AIPAC would never change my position and I would never change my position on any issue because of a donor,” Latimer said. “Because of my AIPAC support, Bowman has tried to undermine my progressive credentials, which includes raising the minimum wage, marriage equality, a record that is as progressive as his. They can’t attack me on that.”

But Bowman charged that Latimer and Mondaire Jones, who endorsed the county executive two weeks ago, are “operating in a political ecosystem without character and integrity.”

“My politics is about community and humanity and about working together to serve the people, not political gain,” the incumbent said. “We need to overturn the Citizens United ruling, which allows unlimited spending on political races by corporations and unions. Oligarchies have taken over our federal, state, county and local governments because there’s big money in politics, which is destroying our electoral process and drowning out the voices of working-class people.”

Bowman said Latimer is the top recipient of AIPAC money, which he charged is funded by “Republican billionaires.” By comparison, 77 percent of his contributors are small-dollar donors, he said.

Immigration

Bowman said President Biden’s recent executive order restricting immigration and asylum seekers at the southern border may work in the short-term, stopping the large influx, but comprehensive immigration reform is still needed. It’s the responsibility of Congress to accomplish that, he said.

Former President Trump gutted the court system and the social system for asylum seekers, according to Bowman.

“The Republican Party is the party of white supremacy and they are all for keeping Black and brown people out and they are not for taking steps towards immigration regulation,” Bowman said. “Immigration is increasing all around the world due to climate change and harm by Western nations. We have to remind ourselves of that, and often mainstream media articulates immigration as aliens invading our country.
“But they are really escaping horrible conditions and coming here seeking jobs and to contribute to our society as taxpayers, workers and entrepreneurs.”

Meanwhile, Latimer said that Westchester was the only suburban county to work with New York City on immigration placement after Texas Gov. Greg Abbott bused migrants to Democratic cities to make a political point.

Latimer has also pressed for federally established satellite immigration courts, including one in Westchester, so new arrivals could have hearings scheduled promptly and obtain work visas for employment and to pay taxes. That failed to materialize.

“Many are coming to work here because they can’t find work in their country,” Latimer said. “We worked on immigration placements and were able to get them free vaccinations and health check-ups. The overall path to deal with this issue is with a bipartisan team to work on legislation.”

Biden used the executive order out of frustration, Latimer said, because he was unable to get Congress to act.

“Trump killed the bipartisan legislation because he wanted to use it as a political issue and if he comes into power he will build a wall,” Latimer said. “We need more border security, not a wall. Trump will bus people who are here back over the border, people who are decent and want a better life in a controlled, vetted environment.”

Achieving Congressional Bipartisanship

Latimer said he has the skills derived from decades of local, county and state governmental experience to help encourage bipartisanship.

Legislators mush find allies on both sides of the aisle, issue by issue, he said. Latimer pointed to the legislation to prevent Holtec from polluting the Hudson River with radioactive waste at the Indian Point site.

“I worked with Republican county executives from Rockland and Orange counties because we had common ground,” he said. “Working across the aisle is a mindset of how you work with people, how you maintain friendships and find little social ways to connect through means of commonality, and when the issues come up, finding the right issue where you can work together. If you join The Squad, it’s very hard to build relationships.”

Latimer conceded that if Trump is elected and/or Republicans win the House and Senate, bipartisanship may suffer.

For Bowman, the main reason for much of the infighting is because Republicans are in control of the House and aren’t serious about governing. Once Democrats control the House, there will be a return to proper governance. The House in 2021 and 2022 was active and successful, including passing legislation such as the Science and CHIPS legislation and the American Rescue Plan, all of which were bipartisan bills.

“We have the ability to govern in a bipartisan way when the Democrats are in control,” Bowman said. “The problem is if the Republicans are in control we will continue to have this infighting. That’s why the November elections matter so much.”

Social Security/Medicare

Bowman was steadfast about raising taxes on the wealthy to keep Social Security solvent.

“The wealthy are not contributing their fair share,” Bowman said. “Their growth was astronomical during COVID. My opponent does not support the president in wanting to raise taxes on the wealthy and he would be a thorn in President Biden’s side. We have to fund Medicare and Social Security no matter what, even if it means cutting the budgets of the military or the prisons.”

There have also been reductions in healthcare, but improvements are needed in Black maternal health, he said.

“I’m for Medicare for all,” Bowman stated. “We are the wealthiest nation in history without universal healthcare with tens of thousands of people dying every year. I’m very afraid in terms of the direction the country is going with very wealthy people trying to buy elections, trying to take away reproductive rights and who are funding my opponent. We have to push back so this does not happen.”

Latimer said there’s a down side to taxing the wealthy more, and he would want to look at the practicality of what would be done with the revenue those monies would generate.

He said he has confidence in President Biden’s tax increase in order to stabilize Social Security and Medicare, but if elected to Congress, Latimer would want to see the specifics of how that would work.

“Before I commit specifically to any proposed legislation, I would look at different revenue streams to determine what works best,” Latimer said. “We did that with the county sales tax and we did not raise property taxes for five years. We need rational ideology to justify raising or lowering taxes.”

Inflation

Corporations have failed to lower prices to pre-pandemic levels in many sectors, keeping prices high even as supply issues have eased, Bowman charged.

“We need to ensure corporations are transparent with their costs and they should open their books so the American people can know why certain prices remain high and then we can go from there,” Bowman said. “The narrative is always that the government is overspending, which leads to inflation, but research shows that inflation is because of large corporations and their greed and that they are not paying their fair share in taxes.”

Latimer said he wants to eliminate the state and local taxes (SALT) deduction limit since it was imposed to help pay for tax cuts. However, it has hurt working- and middle-class homeowners, he said. Some homeowners are house rich and cash poor. Many families are also putting two kids through college and need money to make repairs on their house.

“We need to have a tax program that would provide relief to the hardworking class living in southwest Yonkers, in Mamaroneck and Scarsdale, areas my incumbent has ignored,” Latimer said.

Climate Change

If elected, Latimer pledged to use the framework of the Green New Deal and other bills, then talk with colleagues to see what can realistically be achieved while incentivizing renewable energy.

“We’ve done that already in Westchester by spending county money to expand the electrical vehicle charging stations and by electrifying our bus fleet,” Latimer said. “We’re the first county in the state outside of New York City to electrify our bus fleet. It is an important environmental step for clean air and for environmental justice for those people where buses going by their houses that used to spew diesel fumes. That no longer exists.”

Legislation dealing with climate change is happening but far too slowly, Bowman said.

“We need the right people in office. We made big strides with the Inflation Reduction Act that invested in climate change justice and to use more renewable energy and move buildings off of using fossil fuels,” Bowman said.

Corporations must also be convinced to be part of the solution, while additional federal investments are needed, he said. Washington must take the lead and create workforce development programs and invest in climate change infrastructure.

Bowman said he introduced Green New Deal-type legislation for public schools to end using fossil fuels by 2030.

“That legislation is still in committee because Republicans are allergic to governing,” Bowman said. “It takes a lot of work to get it across the finish line and meet a vision of where we are and where we need to get to.”