Rep. Jamaal Bowman NY-16 Primary Is Bringing Young People Knocking on Doors
courtesy of Ella Weber
Congressional primary races are “some of the most determinative contests in our democracy,” but according to the Bipartisan Policy Center, less than a fifth of eligible voters turn out for them. Tomorrow, voters in New York’s 16th district – which covers parts of the Bronx and Westchester County – will go to the polls for one of the most contentious primaries in the country between incumbent congressman Jamaal Bowman and Westchester County executive George Latimer. The heated race could foreshadow the temperature of the election cycle to come.
The Bowman-Latimer race has sparked headlines as Bowman, a progressive and de facto part of “the Squad,” faces off against Latimer, who’s received unprecedented financial support from Republican donors and pro-Israel groups like AIPAC. Bowman has openly condemned the Israeli government for its treatment of Palestinians.
According to a report from Politico, AIPAC’s spending in the NY-16 race has reached an unprecedented amount — more than $22 million. “Its primary focus has been leveraging its weight in competitive Democratic primaries,” the report reads. “[AIPAC is] spending millions to boost moderates over progressives who have been critical of Israel.”
As a result, young progressives who follow electoral politics are congregating around Bowman’s race. Youth with Protect Our Power, a nascent coalition of Gen Z activists from a variety of movements and campaigns working to reelect progressives to Congress, traveled to NY-16 over the weekend to help knock on doors for Jamaal Bowman. They include Ella Weber, 21, an Idaho native and volunteer organizer and communications lead with Protect Our Power, who came from DC. Weber joined NY-16 constituents like Caitlyn Carpenter, 19, a Brown University student and NY-16 constituent, who also cofounded the Sunrise Movement hub in Westchester County; and Asiah Quattlebaum, 20, a Bowman constituent from the Bronx taking a gap year from Tufts to work as a field organizer on Bowman’s campaign.
Teen Vogue spoke with the volunteers about what makes this primary significant to them.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
Teen Vogue: Usually it's presidential or general elections that get all the buzz. What should young voters know about the importance of primary races?
Ella Weber: In a strong Democratic district like New York-16, primaries decide who your Congressperson is gonna be. Right now we're faced with a choice: We can either elect a progressive champion who has fought for young people's values and priorities, or face the backlash [to] electing George Latimer, who does not have young people's priorities in mind, and is being [financially supported] by AIPAC, UDP [United Democracy Project] and [some] MAGA Republicans. It is so crucial for young people to show up at every single election, and it's a tough ask. Young people are feeling more apathetic and disillusioned with American politics.
Caitlyn Carpenter: Yeah, like Ella said, in a heavily Democratic district this determines who's gonna be representing us. It is so important to have voices in Congress who take young people's calls on the streets into the halls of Congress. That's how change happens. We need to make sure that we are showing up to fight for those [candidates].
Asiah Quattlebaum: It makes or breaks what's gonna happen in our future. These politicians who we are electing into office, they're representing us, they're our voice. So we wanna make sure that we can get people in office who can connect with us, who are going to be on the ground listening to us, listening to young people.
TV: This one’s for Asiah and Caitlyn: As young people and as NY-16 constituents, what’s at stake for you, personally, in this primary election?
AQ: Bowman has been an advocate for people like me — Black and brown people. Bowman understands the struggle that we go through and he's working hard to fight for racial justice. I think that's very important. He listens to us and he tries to make sure that there are policies in Congress to support us.
CC: As a young person who really cares about the future of our climate, and who is from a community that has faced extreme flooding, I think that having Latimer in office would be really scary. He hasn't taken the No Fossil Fuel Money pledge... He has also taken money from the largest polluter in Westchester County, Wheelabrator Technologies, this incinerator plant in Peekskill. It’s really concerning. (Teen Vogue reached out to ask Latimer’s campaign about his stance on fossil fuel infrastructure.)
TV: Ella, you’re not from New York. Why did you take the time to volunteer for the campaign? Why not focus on your hometown district back in Idaho?
EW: Point blank, Idaho is a long way off from electing a progressive champion to federal office. We need representatives like Bowman who inspire young people as we're facing growing disillusionment from young voters. We need to show the Democratic Party what kind of ideas and candidates inspire young people so that we're able to shape the future of this party.
In New York-16, young people are facing a very existential threat to our congressional power. That threat is MAGA money influencing our democratic primaries. And that threat is George Latimer thinking that he can be bought and sold.
TV: You mentioned Republicans contributing to the Latimer campaign in this Democrat versus Democrat race. A lot of voters are disillusioned not just by electoral politics, but also by the two-party system. What do you think electoral races like this say about the state of our political system?
CC: It’s really scary! My family is getting an insane amount of mailers that are just attack mailers on [Rep. Bowman]. It’s causing a lot of polarization within the district itself. Polarization in a Democratic primary is gonna have ramifications on local politics for a really long time.
EW: We've seen young people's power grow substantially in the last five or so years. Our movements not only occupy the streets, but we have these surrogates in office — Congressman Bowman and the Squad. And as our political power has grown, these interest groups are really threatened by it. What that looks like is they're willing to dump millions of dollars into a candidate in an attempt to oust a progressive champion like Congressman Bowman. It’s really important that we are calling out what's happening. [Republican] money does not belong in Democratic primaries.
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Originally Appeared on Teen Vogue
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