Hillary Clinton stuns Democrats by endorsing George Latimer for Jamaal Bowman's congressional seat

Hillary Clinton has made a rare move by backing the primary opponent of a sitting House Democrat in New York, sparking considerable backlash from some in her party.

The former secretary of state and one-time Senator from New York endorsed Westchester County Executive George Latimer for the congressional seat that is currently held by Representative Jamaal Bowman.

'With Trump on the ballot, we need strong, principled Democrats in Congress more than ever,' wrote Clinton on X on Wednesday.

Clinton's endorsement of Latimer is a de facto stance against Bowman's continued career in the House, a position that upset a number of progressives who were quick to condemn the former first lady.

'Imagine taking Hillary Clinton’s advice in a year with Trump on the ballot,' wrote Bhaskar Sunkara, a democratic socialist journalist, taking a swing at Clinton's historic 2016 loss.

Bowman, who is competing for his third term in Congress, is a progressive Democrat and member of the so-called 'Squad,' who has been met with criticism from his own party and elsewhere for his ongoing criticism of Israel in the wake of October 7.

His primary against Latimer is one of the most competitive races in the House and is being watched carefully by Democrats and Republicans. 

His seat - New York's 16th Congressional District - covers half of Westchester County and a small portion of the Bronx. The territory is deep blue, meaning whichever candidate emerges victorious from the Democratic primary will all-but-certainly be headed to Congress.

'In Congress, @LatimerforNY will protect abortion rights, stand up to the NRA, and fight for President Biden’s agenda - just like he’s always done. Make a plan to vote by June 25th!' wrote Clinton. 

Latimer, responding to the 2016 presidential candidate's endorsement, responded: 'I’m honored to have the support of Hillary Clinton, whose decades of service are an inspiration,' and flagged that early voting begins this weekend.

Bowman, whose district has a large Jewish constituency, has arguably alienated significant numbers of his voters by staking a fervently anti-Israel position and repeatedly digging in the months since the outbreak of the war.

'He’s gone far enough out that even the left-leaning Israel advocacy group J Street withdrew its endorsement of Bowman in January, complaining that he had crossed a line in putting the blame for the conflict too much on Israel and not on Hamas,' wrote CNN's Manu Raju last month.

While Latimer has defended Israel as the war provoked by Hamas's terrorism rages on, Bowman, 48, was quick to call Israel an 'apartheid state' in the weeks following the attack. 

He was also an early supporter of the narrative that claims rapes of Israeli women and murders of children were 'lies.' He later walked back some of those comments.

For these reasons and others, Bowman has seen a decline in support from members of his own party - the latest example being Clinton's pointed endorsement of Latimer.

But keyboard warriors and Democrats who exist far to the left of the Clintons found ample reason to condemn the critical endorsement. Their reasoning ranged from Latimer being Islamophobic, to Latimer being backed by Trump supporters, to general disdain for Clinton and her politics. 

Recent polling suggests Latimer, 70, may walk away with a landslide victory over the incumbent.

Late last year, Bowman was also censured by the Republican-led House after pulling  a fire alarm in what  looked like an effort to disrupt a vote.

The congressman claims to have 'mistakenly' pulled the alarm while on his way to the Chamber to cast a vote. But, security footage clearly showed the lawmaker removing warning signs on a blocked exit door before opening it and eventually pulling the alarm.

The warning signs noted that an alarm would sound if the doors were opened.