Bowman Calls Out Gashi's Campaign Tactics

(Updated August 11, 2022) You only need to look at your mailbox to see that the race for the Democratic nomination for the redrawn Congressional District 16 is heating up. Incumbent Jamaal Bowman is sparring with two members of the Westchester County Board of Legislators for the nomination. Vedat Gashi, a refugee from Kosovo who is Muslim, has been on the Board of Legislators for two terms, and Catherine Parker, a fourth generation resident of Westchester who has served on the County Board of Legislators for nine terms are both posing significant challenges to Bowman’s re-election.

Gashi does not currently live in the district but says he will move here if he wins. Parker lives in Rye, and the entire County Legislative District, which she has represented since 2014, is in the newly-drawn NY-16.

With the primary vote just two weeks away on August 23, Gashi is using the mail to position himself against Bowman, highlighting Bowman’s record in Congress where he voted against President Biden’s infrastructure bill, against military aid for Ukraine and has failed to support Israel.

But Gashi’s most recent mailer, received in home on August 8, 2022, has evoked claims of racism from Bowman. Why? Bowman, who is black, alleges that the mailer pictures a darkened photo of him, making it difficult to see his features, while showing a well-lit picture of Gashi with his white wife and two children.

In an article about the mailer on the website City&State New York dated August 8, 2002, Bowman says, “To be Black in America is to deal with multiple forms of racism on a consistent basis. This is one of them. There is an ugly history behind facial distortion to spread hate and disdain for political purposes. This is why voters were angered.”The Gashi Family pictured on the reverse side of the mailer.

Gashi’s campaign said that the photo was not altered. Campaign Manager Dan Johnson said, ""Of course, we did not alter the photo. We simply took the photo from the incumbent's Facebook page which his campaign has since removed. This is just another example of how he refuses to be held accountable for his failed record. Our campaign is focused on protecting our democratic values and helping families in Westchester and the Bronx thrive.”

Commenting on the Gashi mailer, Scarsdale resident Diane Greenwald said, "What really struck me — and immediately upset me — was the flier’s visual juxtaposition that seems to send an intentional message. Vedat shows himself bright, smiling and surrounded by a beautiful, loving family. In contrast, Bowman is depicted a lone Black man, in sinister shadow. It is a not-so-subtle use of a familiar racist trope of fear and loathing— and its not ok. I am disappointed in Bowman’s job performance as a Congressman, but do admire his strong voice calling for an end to systemic racism. Bowman deserves greater personal respect. I really question any candidate's judgement who pursues this messaging. We are not the party of Willy Horton and I want better than this.”

The situation got even more complicated on August 11, 2022 when a mailer from Catherine Parker was received in Scarsdale homes comparing her positions on Israel to those of Bowman. This mailer pictured Parker with a family that appears to be at a bar mitzvah. In the center of the photo is a young man wearing a yalmulke and a tallit, surrounded by Parker and others who appear to be family. There is no photo caption and it looks as if Parker is jewish and celebrating her son's bar mitzvah.

Asked about the picture her Campaign Manager Carolyn Riggs explained, "Catherine is not Jewish, nor has ever claimed to be. She is pictured with her family and her nephew at his bar mitzvah."

See the mailer below: