The Causes of Jamaal Bowman’s Undoing
More from our inbox:
- Trump’s Deep State
- The True Cost of Anti-Obesity Drugs
- A.I. and Our Data
- Name That Baby
Representative Jamaal Bowman, delivering his concession speech on Tuesday, suffered a decisive loss in the Democratic primary.Credit…Gregg Vigliotti for The New York Times
To the Editor:
Re “A Progressive’s Loss Signals a Shift to the Center” (front page, June 27):
Notwithstanding the penchant for handicapping that permeates the article, Jamaal Bowman’s landslide loss tells us nothing about the future of “the left” or the “Squad” (scare quotes).
Not only did Mr. Bowman face “the other side’s vast resources, including a torrent of unprecedented spending by a super PAC,” but he was also burdened “by a unique collection of baggage.” Most significant, it seems that he failed to address the fact that he was more progressive than his district.
What the article does tell us, and it’s not rocket science, is that Democrats need to be running moderates in moderate districts and progressives in progressive districts if we want to take back the House. There’s plenty of time to argue after we replace the current clown show.
Michael K. Cantwell
Delray Beach, Fla.
To the Editor:
You offer needlessly complex reasons for why and how Jamaal Bowman lost his seat in Congress, ranging from broad shifts in the electorate away from progressive ideologies to differences in organizational skill and campaign spending between groups like Justice Democrats and the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, or AIPAC.
The truth is much simpler and more direct: In 2020, Mr. Bowman was elected with support from the Jewish voters in his district, who enthusiastically backed the Black Lives Matter movement. After the Oct. 7 massacre, Mr. Bowman offered not only “criticism of Israel’s actions in Gaza” but also expletive-laden tirades against any support for Israel.
Those same voters formed the clear impression that Jewish lives don’t matter to Mr. Bowman, and switched their support to a candidate who seems more interested in representing his actual constituency in Congress.
