On GOP radio show, Latimer blamed Black and Latino voters for “skewed” election results
On John Catsimatidis’s conservative talk show on WABC, County Executive George Latimer was asked how Congessman Jamaal Bowman won his historic election in 2020.
Latimer responded by suggesting that the large turnout of Black and Latino voters in NY-16 “skewed” the results. He went on to cite mail-in voting and the George Floyd protests as having unfairly benefited Bowman, despite most incumbents going on to secure their re-elections that cycle.
In response to these comments, Jasmine Gripper of the New York Working Families Party condemned Latimer’s comments as recklessly painting Black and Latino voters as election spoilers. “In a moment where MAGA extremists are dead set on rolling back access to the ballot box and explicitly focused on suppressing the Black vote, George Latimer has chosen his side,” said Gripper.
The Latimer campaign contended that the comments were taken out of context. However, in the days following the interview, a donor outside of Latimer’s private fundraiser was captured on camera making racially charged comments about Bowman and his deep concern for Black communities.
“Latimer’s supporters continue to stoop to dog-whistle racist attacks on Bowman—the first Black person to ever represent NY-16. It’s disgusting,” said the Sunrise Movement, which has endorsed Rep. Bowman for his vocal advocacy around climate change.
Latimer has yet to issue a statement denouncing the racist attacks against Rep. Bowman, including comments posted on Latimer’s own Facebook page by Terry Degatano, Vice Chair of the Westchester County Democratic Committee. These comments included calling Bowman an “angry Black man” and wishing for him to suffer a life-threatening medical emergency.
Westchester County Democratic Chairwoman Suzanne Berger responded to these comments by saying that “political dialogue can get heated and contentious.” Degatano has retained her position with the Democratic Committee.
Bowman, the first Black person to represent NY-16, touts an impressive record: introducing the landmark Green New Deal for Public Schools, helping to pass the Inflation Reduction Act, and bringing back over $1 billion for schools, community centers, violence prevention, and more.
Latimer has regularly quoted Martin Luther King Jr’s “I Have a Dream” speech in his interviews with reporters, urging voters to judge him not by “the color of my skin,” but by the “content of my character.”
“George Latimer wishes to be judged by the content of his character,” said Ravi Mangla, spokesperson for the New York Working Families Party. “But in failing to stand up to the racism pervading to his campaign, we don’t judge his character particularly favorably.”