Westchester County Executive George Latimer will become New York’s 16th Congressional District’s next representative after defeating Republican candidate Miriam Flisser on Tuesday night, winning the seat after ousting a top progressive incumbent in the primary earlier this year.
The Associated Press called the race for Latimer at 9:26 p.m. Eastern time with 5% of the vote counted. Latimer received 69.8% to Flisser’s 30.2% as of 2:38 a.m., with polls closing at 9 p.m.
Latimer ousted Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-NY) in June, making the congressman the first House Democrat to lose his reelection bid. Millions of dollars flooded into the 16th District to attack Bowman and boost Latimer, making it the most expensive 2024 primary race.
The Israel-Hamas war was a focal point in the Democratic primary, with most of the outside funds coming from pro-Israel groups upset with Bowman’s opinions about the war in Gaza.
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Bowman’s upset sent shock waves through House Democrats, particularly among progressives as many within the party dealt with backlash from a lack of ironclad support of the Jewish state. Former Democratic Rep. Mondaire Jones, who is trailing behind Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY) in a tight race, endorsed Latimer over Bowman, angering the progressive caucus.
Rep. Cori Bush (D-MO), another “Squad” member who was ousted this summer in the primaries, saw her Democratic challenger win on election night. Wesley Bell handily defeated GOP candidate Andrew Jones and two other third-party candidates. All of the other “Squad” members have survived their general elections so far.
