Poll shows Rep. Jamaal Bowman trailing by double digits in his reelection bid
Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-N.Y.) on Feb. 14. Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images
By Jacob Kornbluh April 4, 2024
New York Rep. Jamaal Bowman is trailing his Democratic primary challenger Westchester County Executive George Latimer in his second reelection bid by 17 points, according to a new poll released on Wednesday by a group backing his challenger.
The survey also offered conflicting results about voters’ views of the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.
The poll, from the Democratic Majority for Israel of 400 registered voters in New York’s 16th District, showed that 52% support Latimer, who also has the backing of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee and other Jewish Democratic groups. Bowman, who is in his second House term, received 35%. Conducted between March 26 and 30 via landline, cellphone and the web, the poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.9 percentage points.
It also indicates that Latimer’s support would increase to 60% among voters who are familiar with both candidates. Another 13% remain undivided.
“With a robust campaign, George Latimer is in a strong position to unseat the now unpopular Congressman Bowman,” said DMFI PAC Chair Mark Mellman.
DMFI endorsed Latimer on Wednesday. It followed the Jewish Democratic Council of America endorsement, which marked the first time the group backed a candidate against a sitting member of Congress.
Bowman, 47, has had a strained relationship with some Jewish leaders in his district since he in 2020 beat longtime Jewish Congressman Eliot Engel, a staunch supporter of Israel. Bowman has aligned closely with the four congresswomen — Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, Ilhan Omar of Minnesota and Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts — known as “The Squad,” who have strongly criticized the Jewish state.
He is facing opposition both locally and nationally for his stance on the Israel-Hamas war. And he recently lost an endorsement from J Street, which has endorsed candidates AIPAC opposes, for “singling out” Israel for blame in the war and accusing it of genocide.
Bill Neidhardt, a spokesperson for the Bowman campaign, pushed back on the DMFI poll and Mellman, who he said lacks an “ounce of credibility.” Mellman holds a one-star rating from 538, the polling website.
DMFI spent close to $2 million in TV ads and campaign mailers in 2020 attacking Bowman, mostly about his taxes.
The DMFI poll also measured voters’ views on the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.
It showed that 62% of Democratic primary voters in the district want the U.S. to support Israel in the conflict and 59% support President Joe Biden’s handling of the war. Biden has employed increasingly harsh language to criticize Israel’s military campaign in Gaza in recent weeks, and has called for an immediate ceasefire linked to the release of some hostages.
Another poll, released last week by the Working Families Party, a progressive group backing Bowman, showed that 69% of voters were more likely to support a candidate who supports a ceasefire.
“An overwhelming majority” of the district agrees with Bowman’s approach to advocating for a permanent ceasefire, Neidhardt said, “a number that has only increased following the targeted killing of Jose Andres World Central Kitchen aid workers.”
The WFP didn’t release numbers on the Bowman-Latimer match-up.
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