By Dan Murphy
Westchester two current members of Congress, Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney, NY-17,and Rep. Jamaal Bowman, NY-16, both cruised to victory in their democratic primary challenges on Aug. 23.
Maloney defeated State Senator Alessandra Biaggi by a 66%-33% margin.
Bowman received 57% and defeated two challengers; County Legislator Vedat Gashi got 23% and County Legislator Catherine Parker 18%. Parker’s supporters leaked a poll in the final days of the campaign that had her leading Bowman and Gashi. That poll not only proved to be false, but it is illegal for whoever leaked and reported on it to not include who did it but the details, or a link to the entire results. But even if you combine the totals of Gashi and Parker, Bowman still wins by 16 point, which shows the power of an incumbent member of Congress, and the fact that Bowman campaigned very hard and brought in the support of progressive groups across the country.
The NY Working Families Party, and NY Director Sochie Nnaemeka 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.”
After his victory, Rep. Bowman said, “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 antisemitism.
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.”
But the WFP did not comment on the loss of another progressive, State Senator Biaggi, in her contest against Maloney. While some believe that Biaggi was not well known in the 17th congressional district, which includes Rockland County, northern Westchester and Putnam, her progressive stances and comments resulted in a number of interest groups working against her, most notably the NYC PBA, who ran a half million dollar digital ad campaign against her for her prior comments to ‘defund the police.’
Maloney is well known in the district and was able to pivot away from his work as the Chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, to contrast himself as a more moderate democratic choice against Biaggi. “Voters in the Hudson Valley have spoken: they want leaders who will put partisanship aside to get real results. Thank you to the people of NY-17 for your faith in me. It is the honor of my life to represent Hudson Valley families in Congress, and I am humbled to have the Democratic nomination and opportunity to continue fighting for our communities.
“Thank you to Senator Alessandra Biaggi for running a good race. This primary made us stronger and together we will keep fighting for a better future for our country, starting with holding this seat and holding the House. Now is the time to come together and ensure the Hudson Valley resoundly rejects the radical, anti-choice, pro-gun policies of MAGA Republican Mike Lawler,” said Maloney. Less than 30,000 democrats voted in the NY-16 contest and 32, 277 voted in Ny-17.
There was also a republican primary for Congress in Westchester, NY-17, and Assemblyman Mike Lawler, as expected, was the big winner. Lawler got 75% of the vote, with Somers Councilman Bill Faulkner second with 11%. Three other republicans ran in this primary, Charles Falciglia got a respectable 8.6%; Shoshana David got 2.9% and Jack Schrepel 1.1%. Lawler now heads towards a general election contest against Maloney, in a race that will be watched across the country, and one that may help tip the balance of the House to the GOP.
