Jamaal Bowman lost his seat in the face of the lobby's pro-Israel spending

Progressive Democratic Dem. Jamaal Bowman was ousted from his New York congressional seat after a contentious primary infused with special interest money.

Democratic Westchester County Executive George Latimer secured the first victory in the American Israel Public Affairs Committee's (AIPAC) $100 million effort to oust progressive lawmakers critical of Israel's ongoing military siege against the Palestinians in Gaza. The Associated Press called the match just before 9:45 p.m. ET

The race between Bowman and Latimer was the most expensive in House history, with AIPAC pouring $14 million into New York's 16th Congressional District. Candidates and their supporters spent together a total of $23 million only in advertising.

Bowman felt he was not running a race against Latimer, but rather fighting against powerful interest groups seeking to oust him and his closest colleagues for their criticism of Israel. The MP said recently Rolling rock that “this race against AIPAC is a really good litmus test as it relates to that, because [they’re] a lobby with lots of money [that’s] spending more money on this fight than has ever been spent in primary history. They're doing this because they don't want a progressive agenda going forward.”

In the wake of Hamas' attack on Israel on October 7, Bowman was one of the first and most vocal advocates in Congress for a permanent ceasefire. The lawmaker drew widespread criticism for dismissing reports of mass beheadings of infants by Hamas and the alleged systematic rape of Israeli women during the October 7 attacks as Israeli “propaganda.” While Bowman later said he “regretted” the remarks, Mr source behind the claims remains doubtful.

According to reports, the number of dead in Gaza exceeded 37,000 — including dozens of women, children and other non-combatants — and the region continues to be plagued by lack of food and humanitarian aid. “AIPAC is a pro-state solution,” Bowman said Rolling rock. “Our position is a two-state solution where Palestinians and Israelis live side by side in their respective states, where they have self-determination, where they are safe and where they have peace.”

Bowman is just the first test of AIPAC's power this election cycle — other targets on their roster include progressive Democrats such as Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (DN.Y.), Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.), Rep. Cori Bush (D-Mo.), Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.), the only Palestinian-American member of Congress. Beyond their opposition to continued, unquestioned aid to Israel, the target list represents some of the administration's most prominent voices advocating systemic change in a political system mired in semi-permanent decay.

Bowman, along with other members of the progressive caucus, has supported legislation such as the Green New Deal, increasing corporate profits and criminal justice reform. “The Democratic Party is supposed to be a big party that accepts all people, and sometimes my more conservative colleagues oppose that. It's their job to push back. It's our job to make sure we're expressing our collective numbers as it relates to a particular issue,” he previously said Rolling rock. “The majority of Americans support universal health care, they support affordable housing, they support universal child care and paid leave, they support home care and they support all the things that we're fighting for. So we're aligned with the people, and the conservatives are aligned with profit, and that's just the way it is.”

But for all his progressive credentials, the recent string of controversies that eluded Bowman has fueled Latimer and his well-funded backers.

Last fall, Bowman was he was accused and pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor after pulling a fire alarm at a Cannon House office building when there was no fire. The incident took place as the House was debating measures to avoid a government shutdown, leading to accusations that Bowman had sounded the alarm to delay proceedings on the floor. In December the Parliament voted to impeach Bowman in a vote of 214-191-5.

In January, old blog posts were discovered with The Daily Beast revealed that Bowman had entertained 9/11 conspiracies before pursuing a career in politics. Bowman has since said he does not continue to hold those beliefs and has since campaigned to fight dangerous conspiracies as a lawmaker.

The recent controversy has been a boon for Latimer's campaign, which has been locked in a heated — often ugly — battle with Bowman for months. Last week, Latimer went so far as to say that while he expected Bowman to win at least 40 percent of the vote in the district, it would be because Rep. had an “obvious national benefit”. In their final debate before the primaries, Bowman he blamed Latimer's campaign mailing flyers with pictures of him significantly darkening his complexion.