Who is the real “Spoiler” in the Latimer-Bowman Race?
To the Editor:
Last month, you wrote a story about the Bowman-Latimer congressional race by printing a letter from a resident in the district, who hypothesized that if Bowman were able to defeat Latimer in the democratic primary in June, then a republican would be able to defeat Bowman in a November election.
First let me say that as a supporter of Congressman Bowman, I do not believe that theory, for several reasons. There are simply not enough republicans in the district to elect a republican to congress in Westchester and the Bronx. And I don’t believe that a supermajority of independent voters would vote for the republican over Bowman.
There is also not a republican in the district who is well know enough, without any political baggage, who would be able to attract enough voters to defeat Boman.
Finally, in a Presidential year, with Trump at the top of the Republican tickets, there is no way that Trump will have any coattails in Westchester to help a congressional candidate.
But let me turn around the hypothesis of your readers. Bowman already has the Working Families Party.
What if Latimer became the spoiler in this election if Bowman decides to continue to run in November on the WFP line, if Latimer wins the democratic primary.
This would offer voters three choices in November; Latimer as a democrat; Bowman on the WFP line, and the republican candidate.
If you give the republican candidate, with Trump at the top of the ticket, the 33% of the vote that republicans usually get in this district in a Presidential year, you have Latimer and Bowman splitting up the remaining 65%.
Are Bowman’s supporters and voters more inclined to vote for Bowman over Latimer? Or are Latimer’s supporters more motivated to vote for Latimer over Bowman in November?
Or, could the worst scenario for both Latimer and Bowman supporters happen, with both Latimer and Bowman splitting 65% of the vote, and the republican winning with 35%?
If that happens then who would the spoiler for the democrats be? Many of us in the progressive-indivisible -democratic-WFP community believe that Latimer is the spoiler because he is challenging an incumbent Democratic member of Congress.
Name withheld, Bowman supporter from Westchester and NY-16.
