Progressives to rally for Jamaal Bowman ahead of big NY race

Two of the top progressives in Congress will be holding a get-out-the-vote rally with Democratic incumbent Jamaal Bowman ahead of the New York primary on Tuesday.

The rally, led by Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York and Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, will take place at Saint Mary's Park at 11 am. The 6th Congressional District, which Bowman represents, includes parts of the Bronx.

The two-term congressman has long been considered a vulnerable target for conservatives due to part of his district being located in Westchester County, a Democratic though not progressive suburb of New York City. A recent poll has Bowman trailing his opponent, Westchester County executive George Latimer, by 17 points.

The race for New York's District 16 is turning out to be one of the most expensive in congressional campaign history. AIPAC's super PAC, the United Democracy Project, is expected to spend around US$25 million to oust Bowman, who has been an outspoken critic of the lobby group as well as Israel's ongoing war in Gaza, which has killed around 38,000 Palestinians. 

In addition to the much-publicised AIPAC funding, Fairshake, a political action committee backed by cryptocurrency executives, has poured millions into the race in an effort to oust Bowman. According to Feder Election Commission filings, Fairshake has spent more than UDP in the 2024 election cycle.

In response to this surge of conservative fundraising, fellow progressive Congress member Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, whose latest congressional map puts her solidly in Arab and Muslim-majority Dearborn (and therefore not a vulnerable target), has shared US$500,000 from her campaign funds to help Bowman in his race. A high proportion of the top donors of the PACs running ads against Bowman in the Democratic primary and Republicans donors.

If Bowman loses his race, this would make him the first member of the so-called progressive "squad" to lose his seat.