By Dan Murphy
The people of Yonkers are represented in Congress by Rep. Jamaal Bowman. The City lies in the 16th Congressional district, but the boundaries of the district have changed two times over the past year. Congressman Bowman is well known in Yonkers, where he lives and has participated in the community for years. He name recognition comes from supporters but also detractors of his first term in Washington. County Legislator Vedat Gashi, from Yorktown, announced his candidacy to challenge Bowman earlier this year.
At the time, the 16th District extended up to Yorktown, but a recent change now puts Gashi out of the district. But Gashi is staying in the race, and has been traveling around the district to try and meet voters in lower Westchester, and recently attended the Yonkers Puerto Rican/Hispanic Parade. Another County Legislator, Catherine Parker from Rye, is also running for congress and the three will appear on the ballot in a democratic primary in August. Rep. Bowman recently called for the elimination of student debt.
During his first year in office, Bowman called on President Joe Biden to cancel all student loan debt from the floor of the House of Representatives. “The student loan process has been a predatory process, like many too many processes in our economy.” Gashi’s appearance in Yonkers officially kicks off his campaign against Bowman. Gashi is trying to challenge Bowman as a moderate democrat, but the district still includes the Yonkers, Mt. Vernon and parts of the Bronx, before it moves north to include all of southern Westchester county, north to White Plains.
Opinions are mixed as to whether Gashi can beat an incumbent democratic member of Congress in Bowman. But one thing that most democrats we spoke to agree on: With Gashi and Parker both in the race, Bowman wins easily.
