Incumbent Jamaal Bowman Sweeps Democratic Primary for Congressional District 16

Though many in Scarsdale had themselves convinced that the Congressional contest for the newly redrawn District 16 was a race between County Legislators Vedat Gashi and Catherine Parker, in fact, incumbent Jamaal Bowman swept the August 23, 2022 Democratic Primary. Not even a half hour after the polls closed the Associated Press declared Congressman Bowman the victor, and ultimately the numbers showed that Bowman took 57% of the vote, more than the vote count of Gashi and Parker combined.

The race was ever present, with campaign materials arriving daily in voters mailboxes and constant emails from all three candidates. In his first term in Congress, Bowman voted with the progressive wing of the party against the infrastructure bill, against Israel and against aid for Ukraine and some thought he was beatable in the newly drawn district that includes most of Westchester’s suburban communities. Both Gashi and Parker attempted to appeal to Jewish voters by promoting their support for Israel while Bowman stressed his support for working families and those in need.

Though there are 748,194 residents in the district, less than 25,000 votes were cast. The low voter turnout may be due to the change in the primary date from June to August, and the fact that the end of August is vacation time for many. The delay in the primary date was due to a challenge to the redistricting plan which combined portions of Congressman Bowman’s district with areas in the 17th led by Congressman Mondaire Jones who was a rising star in the Democratic Party. Jones moved to Brooklyn where he ran and lost in the 10th district, coming in third after Dan Goldman and Yuh-Line Niou.

Vedat Gashi, an immigrant from Kosovo and a Muslim, entered the race in the spring and was successful at fundraising for his campaign. He lives in what is now Congressional District 17 in Yorktown but vowed to move to the 16th if he won the election. He garnered the support of former Congressman Nita Lowey and Eliot Engel along with State Assemblywoman Amy Paulin.

Catherine Parker, who lives in Rye, did not announce her run until June, but supporters felt that she had a good chance of winning due to her name recognition after nine years of serving Westchester constituents on the Westchester County Board of Legislators. Her campaign received a boost when  a small independent poll came out last week declaring her in the lead.

However, neither Gashi nor Parker came close to Bowman’s success at the polls. A sitting member of Congress, Bowman had endorsements from major unions along with Nancy Pelosi, Chuck Schumer, Kristin Gillibrand and many other national and local leaders.

Here are a few lines from Bowman’s remarks at Maggie Spillane’s in Mt. Vernon after the election was called by the AP. “Tonight, we proved to the world that if you lead with peace and with love, you win. …Because when we got to D.C. two years ago — just days before the first attack on the Capitol since the War of 1812 — that is how we led…. We introduced the Green New Deal for Public Schools to invest in young people. We brought back resources to support the elderly and children in our communities. We fought back against hate, racism, and anti-semitism…. Tonight we will celebrate this win for our movement. And tomorrow, we’ll get back to work fighting for the people of this district, and back to work building a district, a country, and a world that centers equity, human rights, and justice for all.”

Damon Maher, a member of the County Board of Legislators who backed Catherine Parker sent out the following:

“I have sent the following text to Congressman Bowman: "Congratulations on your running an excellent campaign and for achieving a well-earned, decisive victory. Of course, you will have my support in the general election."

Those of us who backed either of the two challengers - my two colleagues in the Westchester County Legislature, Catherine Parker and Vedat Gashi - are disappointed to have lost, and all sides should be concerned about yet another primary with abysmally low voter turnout figures.

Nonetheless, the Congressman won the Democratic nomination fair and square. He deserves the vote of every good Democrat in the general election in November.”

Sochie Nnaemeka, Director of the New York Working Families Party who endorsed Bowman said, “Jamaal Bowman has been a courageous fighter for our children and families in Congress. He introduced the visionary Green New Deal for Public Schools legislation, protected families from unjust eviction, and fought to defend our democracy. We’re thrilled to continue partnering with Jamaal to ensure that working families in NY-16 can truly thrive."

As the district leans Democratic, the primary win bodes well for Bowman in the November election.