Exclusive: Bowman gets fundraising back on track in tough congressional primary

In the competitive 16th Congressional District, Rep. Jamaal Bowman’s campaign reported raising $1.3 million from over 10,000 donors in the first quarter, which was exclusively shared with City & State.

Bowman’s fundraising total is a significant jump up from the roughly $725,000 he raised in the fourth quarter of last year, which had been an early sign the incumbent might be in trouble in the Democratic primary, in addition to a recent poll that had him trailing.

His opponent, Westchester County Executive George Latimer, raised nearly $1.4 million in the fourth quarter.

“Congressman Bowman overcame massive odds – and even more massive outside spending – in 2020 to build a victorious coalition, and we have incredible resources to do exactly that again,” said Bowman campaign manager Gabe Tobias in a statement. “This is true grassroots, small-dollar fundraising, and unlike our opponent we have never held fundraisers hosted by Wall Street fraudsters or Trump megadonors. This is how we are building a campaign to win.”

In the first quarter, 75% of the contributions to Bowman were less than $30.

The Bowman and Latimer campaigns have traded barbs over fundraising. 

Bowman’s camp has tied Latimer’s gaudy totals to Republican donors and corporate interests, and Latimer’s camp asserted Bowman’s campaign has a national network of donors that doesn’t rely as heavily on in-district contributions.

The central issue in the race so far has been the Israel-Hamas war. The district has the largest Jewish population in New York, and the two candidates differing stances on the conflict – since Bowman supports a permanent ceasefire and Latimer has expressed support for Israel and a temporary ceasefire.

Latimer announced his campaign in December a week after returning from a trip to Israel. The American Israel Public Affairs Committee’s PAC has given Latimer over $600,000 so far. And more progressive Jewish groups have retreated from Bowman, with J Street pulling its endorsement in January and the Jewish Democratic Council of America backing a challenger, Latimer, over a Democratic incumbent for the first time.

The 16th Congressional District, which covers Westchester County and parts of the Bronx, has seen a great deal of outside interest during this race due to Bowman’s membership in “The Squad” – a group of progressive members of Congress.

Latimer’s campaign has not released his fundraising totals for the first quarter yet but candidates must file their reports to the Federal Election Commission by April 15.