Before AIPAC burned nearly $40 million to defeat Abdul El-Sayed, they spent a then-record amount to take out Rep. Jamaal Bowman.
The former principal and educator served four years, representing New York’s 16th district, after defeating 16-term incumbent Rep. Engel. Bowman also made headlines for being the first male member of “The Squad,” a group of progressive Democrats who were smeared and maligned before the establishment moved on to attack Democratic Socialists, Hasan Piker, and Abdul El-Sayed. During his tenure, Bowman helped set a template for Democrats to reject super PAC money, advocate for Medicare for All, and demand billionaires pay more taxes.
But it was Bowman’s loud, principled objection to Israel’s ongoing occupation and genocide that resulted in AIPAC bringing down the hammer. Before it became mainstream consensus, Bowman used his platform to condemn Israel’s apartheid policies and called for a ceasefire in the ongoing “war.” As a Black man who grew up in the projects and experienced systemic racism and poverty, Bowman recognized parallels when he visited Israel and Palestine.
Even though AIPAC was successful in defeating Bowman, and later Cori Bush, their heavy-handed tactics over the years have made the group into a pariah for an overwhelming majority of Democratic voters. With the emergence of Zohran Mamdani, Bowman was able to rediscover his fight. Now, he’s organizing and rallying across the country, boosting candidates who are promising to champion progressive, transformational politics.
He shares his journey in his first forthcoming book, * Unpolished, *and joins The Left Hook to discuss how we, the people, can fight back against corrupt establishment politics and sociopathic billionaires.
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