Latimer talks elections, Democratic divide on Israel

Longtime Westchester County Executive George Latimer will be a 71-year-old congressional rookie should he, as expected, win his November general election in New York’s 16th Congressional District.

Latimer coasted to victory in the Democratic primary last month, upending anti-Israel incumbent Rep. Jamaal Bowman, who appeared to go out of his way to antagonize his Jewish constituents with inflammatory rhetoric about the Israel-Hamas war, in addition to insensitive and antisemitic comments about the choice of lifestyle of his district’s Jewish residents.

Bowman became the first member of the so-called progressive “Squad” of far-left Congress members to be ousted, followed by Rep. Cori Bush (D-Mo.), who attacked AIPAC in her concession speech.

Speaking on the sidelines of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago this week, Latimer told attendees at a Jewish Democratic Council of America event that no democracy is free from discrimination and that Israel’s critics are holding it to a higher standard in this category.

JNS asked Latimer why it is seen as unacceptable to be anti-Asian, homophobic or racist in the Democratic Party, while discrimination against Jews often appears to be accepted, excused and justified.

“The first thing to understand is that the Democratic Party is not monolithic,” he responded. “There are voices in the Democratic Party that hold those positions. I believe they’re the minority of the party.”

Latimer cited the results in his race, along with Bush’s defeat at the hands of prosecutor Wesley Bell, to show “that voters who are Democrats actually don’t agree with some of those voices.”

“I think what happens sometimes is the media will amplify the voices of those that say the more outrageous things, but the mainstream feeling of the Democratic Party is more reflected by Hakeem Jeffries, more reflected by Chuck Schumer,” he said, referring to the House minority and Senate majority leaders, respectively.

Speaking to JNS last Wednesday, hours ahead of the convention speech of the parents of 23-year-old Israeli-American hostage Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Latimer sounded a somewhat prophetic note, based on the overwhelmingly-warm embrace the Polins received in the convention hall.

“I don’t think the party is as deeply divided as the media reports. Are there different points of view? Yes. Is it 50/50? Is it 60/40? No, I don’t think so,” Latimer said. “I think there is a much smaller group of people who are anti-Israel in the Democratic Party.”

The way to rid the party of those voices is through the primary process, which is where the position of the party’s mainstream tends to shine through, according to Latimer.

With intense criticism — primarily from the hard left — of AIPAC’s increasing political contributions, JNS asked Latimer if there is an opportunity to expunge the anti-Israel wing of the party without pouring tens of millions of dollars into individual races.

Latimer challenged the premise of the question and said that it was “not simply money” that won the aforementioned primaries.

Polling by Democratic Majority for Israel showed Latmer holding a 17-point lead before AIPAC’s heavy involvement, he said, crediting his decades of public service and high name recognition in the district.

“The fact that there was money spent on my behalf was essential to do it. It was also essential because it offset money that the incumbent raised throughout the country through a network of far-left donors,” he said. “But it was not simply: Here’s an empty suit.”

Latimer said more depends on quality candidate recruitment, referencing Bell’s victory in Missouri, as well as an understanding and ability to listen to the voices in one’s district. Bowman and Bush, conversely, were pilloried for seeming to prioritize national interests over servicing constituents.

“You have individuals who oppose Israel, and to the extent that you’re going to have to raise counterbalancing money, yes, that’s going to be part of the arrangement.”

Latimer said that Bowman had enough money to get his message out.

Asked his views on the dedication of vice president and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris to the US-Israel relationship, Latimer said he believes that Harris will make a clear case to America for continued support of Jerusalem.

“But I do think at some point in time, the question at hand isn’t whether the Harris administration is going to be standing alone on this but will she have support in Congress as well,” he said.

Those looking at the matter on a short-term basis must broaden their perspective, even as Israel fights what many say is an existential war, according to Latimer.

“The future of Israel isn’t what happens in the next six months. It’s what happens over the next 60 years,” he said. “I’m not going to be here 60 years, but I certainly hope that the short-term decisions we make will lend itself toward that.”

Saudi Arabia still giving indications that it will recognize Israel is a good sign, as is Jordan responding at a critical time to help defend Israel against the massive drone and missile attack from Tehran and multiple proxies in mid-April, according to Latimer.

“That’s not to say that everything is smiles. I think the role that Iran plays is still a malevolent role in the Middle East,” Latimer said. “But I do think that there’s an opportunity for this relationship to strengthen, and that’s what I hope will happen.”

“I hope that President Harris — as President Biden has — will be able to chart a course,” he added, “and that those of us, if I’m in the Congress, will be supportive of that right strategy.”