Jamaal Bowman | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, 2021 | |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromNew York's16th district | |
| In office January 3, 2021 – January 3, 2025 | |
| Preceded by | Eliot Engel |
| Succeeded by | George Latimer |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Jamaal Anthony Bowman (1976-04-01)April 1, 1976 (age 49) New York City,New York, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Melissa Oppenheimer |
| Children | 3 |
| Education | Potomac State College University of New Haven (BA) Mercy College (MA) Manhattanville College (EdD) |
| Website | |
Jamaal Anthony Bowman (born April 1, 1976) is an American politician and former educator who served from 2021 to 2025 as the United States representative forNew York's 16th congressional district.
Bowman is the founder and former principal of the Cornerstone Academy for Social Action, a public middle school inEastchester, Bronx. He defeated 16-term incumbentEliot Engel in the 2020 Democratic primary and was first elected to Congress that November. He was a member ofthe Squad, an informal group ofleftist members of theHouse Democratic Caucus. On October 26, 2023, Bowman pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor for willfully setting off a false fire alarm in theCannon House Office Building. Bowman paid a $1,000 fine and the charge was later dropped. On December 7, the House of Representatives voted 214–191 tocensure him for the fire alarm incident.
A critic of U.S. support for Israel during theGaza war, Bowman sought re-election in 2024, where he was challenged byGeorge Latimer in the Democratic primary. Bowman was defeated by a double-digit margin.
Jamaal Anthony Bowman[1] was born on April 1, 1976,[2] inManhattan, aborough of New York City. He lived with his grandmother in the East River Houses inEast Harlem during the week, and on weekends with his mother and sisters inYorkville on theUpper East Side. His grandmother died when he was eight years old, after which he lived full time on the Upper East Side.[3][4] At age 16, he moved with his family toSayreville, New Jersey.[4] He graduated fromSayreville War Memorial High School, where he played on the football team.[5][6]
Bowman briefly attendedPotomac State Junior College inWest Virginia before earning aBachelor of Arts in sports management from theUniversity of New Haven in 1999.[7] At the University of New Haven, he playedcollege football as alinebacker for theNew Haven Chargers.[8][9] Bowman earned aMaster of Arts in counseling fromMercy College in 2006 and aDoctor of Education in educational leadership fromManhattanville College in 2019.[6][10]
After earning his undergraduate degree, Bowman decided not to pursue a career in sports management. Upon the suggestion of a family friend who worked for theNew York City Department of Education, Bowman began working as an educator. His first job was as a crisis management teacher in aSouth Bronx elementary school.[4] In 2009, he founded Cornerstone Academy for Social Action, a public middle school inthe Bronx.[3][4]
As principal of Cornerstone Academy for Social Action, Bowman curated a "wall of honor" featuring likenesses of prominent Black, Latino, and Asian individuals. Its honorees includedMartin Luther King Jr.,Sonia Sotomayor,Cynthia McKinney,Mutulu Shakur, andAssata Shakur.[11][12][13]HuffPost political reporter Daniel Marans criticized Bowman for including "a notorious antisemite and two Black militants convicted of murder and armed robbery"; Bowman's campaign spokesperson responded that it is "a rhetorical tool of the far right to insinuate educating students on major figures of Black American history is serving to promote hateful or divisive rhetoric or actions."[11] Bowman later condemned McKinney's statements as antisemitic.[14]
Bowman became a leading advocate againststandardized testing, calling it "slavery".[15][16][17] His blog on the role of standardized testing received national attention.[15] He wrote that high-stakes testing had a role in perpetuating inequalities,[18] including turnover, tumult, and a vicious cycle it creates in students' and educators' lives, saying performance assessments damage a school's ability to teach.
Bowman also advocated for children to receive arts, history, and science education in addition to the basics of literacy and numeracy.[15] Bowman's school policy used arestorative justice model to address theschool-to-prison pipeline.[19] After 10 years as principal, he left the job to focus on his congressional campaign.[20]
The progressiveJustice Democrats recruited Bowman to run for theUnited States House of Representatives inNew York's 16th congressional district, which was represented by 16-term incumbentEliot Engel.[21] The district included parts of the Bronx and Westchester County, respectively.[22] Engel had served as a member of the House since 1989 and as chair of theUnited States House Committee on Foreign Affairs since the first session of the116th United States Congress. Bowman was inspired to run by the insurgent2018 campaign of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. He described his platform as "anti-poverty and anti-racist", with support for housing, criminal justice reform, education,Medicare for All, and aGreen New Deal.[23]
Bowman's campaign criticized Engel's record on foreign policy and response to theCOVID-19 pandemic. Bowman's endorsements from theSunrise Movement and the New YorkWorking Families Party helped his campaign to raise funds, although Engel enjoyed a significant fundraising advantage.[24] Bowman was also endorsed by Ocasio-Cortez,Bernie Sanders,Elizabeth Warren, and the editorial board ofThe New York Times.[21][25]
Bowman won the primary on July 17, 2020, with 55% of the vote.[26][27] In the general election, he defeatedConservative nominee Patrick McManus with 84% of the vote.[28]
Bowman was challenged in the Democratic primary byWestchester County legislator Vedat Gashi, who was endorsed by Bowman's predecessor and 2020 primary opponent,Eliot Engel.[29] Redistricting affected the demographics of the district, which continued to include southern Westchester County and a portion of the northern Bronx.[30] Bowman won the Democratic primary[31] and proceeded to win the general election with 64% of the vote.[32]
A frequent critic ofU.S. support forIsrael during theGaza war, Bowman was challenged by pro-Israel Westchester County Executive George Latimer in the Democratic primary.[33][34]The New York Times described the contest as "a marquee showcase of the party's divisions over the Israel-Hamas war".[35]
The primary was the most expensive House primary in U.S. history, with $15 million in outside spending benefiting Latimer's campaign.[36] Much of the outside spending came from groups affiliated with the pro-IsraelAmerican Israel Public Affairs Committee.[37][38][39]
Latimer defeated Bowman, 58.59% to 41.41%.[40] Bowman was the first of two Democratic congressional incumbents to lose a primary in the 2024 election cycle, with the other beingCori Bush. He also was the first member of the Squad to lose a primary.[41][42]
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Upon his swearing-in, Bowman joinedThe Squad, a group of progressive Democratic lawmakers.[43][44][45] He has been described asfar left.[46][47]
In January 2021, following thestorming of the United States Capitol, Bowman introduced the Congressional Oversight of Unjust Policing Act (COUP Act) to establish a commission to investigate howUnited States Capitol Police handled the storming of the Capitol and to look at potential ties of some of its members towhite nationalism.[48] Bowman said that introducing the bill was "critical when you look at the disparity in terms of how the Capitol Police responded to the insurrection on Wednesday, versus how they responded to—not just [Black Lives Matter] protestors this summer, but other people of color, and people who are disabled, historically".[49] The legislation came afterNancy Pelosi andChuck Schumer called for the Capitol Police chief's resignation.[50]
On November 5, 2021, Bowman was one of six House Democrats to break with their party and vote against theInfrastructure Investment and Jobs Act because it did not include theBuild Back Better Act.[51][52]
In 2023, Bowman reintroduced H.R. 4108, the Healthy Future Students and Earth Pilot Program Act, which he cosponsored in 2021 with Nydia Velázquez.[53] The bill aimed to establish a pilot grant program introducing plant-based food and beverage options in school lunches. Bowman did not cosponsor the bill in the 2023-2024 session, though he publicly voiced support for it.[54][55]
Bowman was among the 46 House Democrats who voted against final passage of theFiscal Responsibility Act of 2023.[56]
On September 30, 2023, while House Democrats were attempting to delay a vote on a bill that would avoid a government shutdown, Bowman pulled a fire alarm in the Cannon House Office Building.[57][58] Bowman's action caused the building to be evacuated for an hour and a half.[59] Bowman initially claimed that he had set off the alarm by accident, telling reporters, "I thought the alarm would open the door".[60][57] His office released "suggested talking points" about the incident for political allies. Those talking points reiterated Bowman's claim that he had set off the alarm by accident; in addition, the talking points referred to some Republicans as "Nazis". Bowman later stated that he had not approved the "Nazis" comparison.[61][62][63] Then-House SpeakerKevin McCarthy alleged that Bowman activated the fire alarm as a delay tactic and promised that Bowman would be punished. Other House Republicans suggested disciplinary measures ranging fromcensure toexpulsion.[64][65]
After a Capitol Police investigation, Bowman accepted a deal in which he pleaded guilty to the misdemeanor crime of falsely pulling a fire alarm, paid the maximum fine of $1,000, and wrote a letter of apology to police; in exchange, prosecutors agreed to drop the charges against him after three months.[66][58][67] Bowman paid the required fine. In January 2024, the charges against Bowman were dismissed and his guilty plea was withdrawn.[68]
On December 7, 2023, the House censured Bowman for his conduct in the fire alarm incident.[69][70] The vote was 214 to 191, with three Democrats joining House Republicans in voting to censure Bowman.[71] Afterwards, theHouse Ethics Committee dropped its review of Bowman's actions as moot.[72]
In September 2021, Bowman voted in favor of providingIsrael with an additional $1 billion in aid to fund itsIron Dome missile defense system.[73] His vote was controversial among members of theDemocratic Socialists of America (DSA), and sparked debate within the DSA about whether it should require that its members supportBoycott, Divestment, and Sanctions against Israel.[74] A spokesman confirmed in October 2023 that Bowman had let his DSA membership expire in 2022 following DSA's response to his vote.[75] But in May 2024, Bowman rejoined the organization and was endorsed by itsNew York City chapter.[76][77] This came as he faced a strong primary challenge fromGeorge Latimer, who was endorsed by manypro-Israel lobby groups.[78][34]
Bowman was among 51 House Democrats who voted against the final passage of the2022 National Defense Authorization Act. Explaining his vote, he said, "it is astounding how quickly Congress moves weapons but we can't ensure housing, care, and justice for our veterans, nor invest in robust jobs programs for districts like mine."[79][80]
On July 18, 2023, Bowman and eight other progressiveDemocrats voted against acongressionalnon-binding resolution proposed byAugust Pfluger that "the State of Israel is not a racist orapartheid state", that Congress rejects "all forms of antisemitism and xenophobia", and that "the United States will always be a staunch partner and supporter of Israel".[81]
On October 25, Bowman and eight other progressive Democrats, along with RepublicanThomas Massie, voted against a resolution supporting Israel following theOctober 7 Hamas-led attack on the country.[82][83]
On November 17, Bowman called reports of Israeli women being raped during the 2023 Hamas attack "propaganda" and a "lie". AfterPolitico reached out to his office about his statements in March 2024, Bowman retracted his previous remarks.[84][85] Bowman apologized in June 2024, saying, "Immediately when the U.N. provided additional evidence, I voted to condemn the sexual violence."[86][87] Liberal Israel lobby groupJ Street withdrew its endorsement of Bowman on January 29, 2024, citing the "framing and approach" of his response to the Hamas attack. J Street PresidentJeremy Ben-Ami said that Bowman had "gone too far".[88]
In February 2025, Bowman started his ownsuperpolitical action committee, Built to Win PAC, to support progressive candidates in competitive elections by mobilizing nonwhite voters disillusioned with the Democratic Party. He did not name any specific candidates that his PAC would support, but said that it would target races against any congressional candidates that support Israeli Prime MinisterBenjamin Netanyahu, as well as those receiving support from cryptocurrency PACs or real estate lobbyists.[93]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Jamaal Bowman | 49,367 | 55.4 | ||
| Democratic | Eliot Engel (incumbent) | 36,149 | 40.6 | ||
| Democratic | Chris Fink | 1,625 | 1.8 | ||
| Democratic | Sammy Ravelo | 1,139 | 1.3 | ||
| Democratic | Andom Ghebreghiorgis (withdrawn) | 761 | 0.9 | ||
| Total votes | 89,041 | 100.0 | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Jamaal Bowman | 218,471 | 84.2 | |
| Conservative | Patrick McManus | 41,085 | 15.8 | |
| Total votes | 259,556 | 100.0 | ||
| Democratichold | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Jamaal Bowman (incumbent) | 21,643 | 54.2 | |
| Democratic | Vedat Gashi | 10,009 | 25.0 | |
| Democratic | Catherine Parker | 7,503 | 18.8 | |
| Democratic | Mark Jaffee | 608 | 1.5 | |
| Total votes | 39,961 | 100.0 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Jamaal Bowman (incumbent) | 133,567 | 64.2 | |
| Republican | Miriam Flisser | 74,156 | 35.7 | |
| Total votes | 207,723 | 100.0 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | George Latimer | 45,909 | 58.59% | |
| Democratic | Jamaal Bowman (incumbent) | 32,440 | 41.41% | |
| Total votes | 78,349 | 100.00% | ||
Bowman lives with his wife, Melissa Oppenheimer, and their three children inYonkers, New York.[3][98]
Bowman is a fan of New York hip-hop groupWu-Tang Clan. He described hip-hop as a "culture that is created by teenagers who were forgotten about, and because they were forgotten about, they were forced to come together and create something beautiful".[99] Bowman drew inspiration from the Wu-Tang Clan during his underdog 2020 campaign.[100] He was frequently seen in a Wu-Tang Clan-emblazoned face covering during theCOVID-19 pandemic,[100][101][102] whichGQ noted allowed Bowman to send voters a message.[103]
From 2011 to 2014, Bowman maintained a blog on which he promoted9/11 conspiracy theories. After the blog was reported on byThe Daily Beast, Bowman said he regretted his posts.[104][105][106] In May 2024,The Daily Beast revealed that Bowman's personalYouTube account was subscribed to dozens of fringe conspiracy channels, at least several of which he had subscribed to since being elected to Congress. In response, Bowman denied knowledge of any of the channels or their content.[107]
Bowman, a member of the far-left 'Squad,' has
Jamaal Bowman, a Westchester County congressman and a member of the Squad, the prominent group of far-left members of Congress, including Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar.
Bowman is embracing underdog status in his competitive primary against Westchester County Executive George Latimer, who is seeking to be the first mainstream Democrat to knock off a member of the far-left Squad.
million in ads attacking the far-left firebrand for being out of step with mainstream Democrats
bid to unseat the far-left Democrat in his race against challenger George Latimer next Tuesday
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromNew York's 16th congressional district 2021–2025 | Succeeded by |
| U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial) | ||
| Preceded byas Former U.S. Representative | Order of precedence of the United States as Former U.S. Representative | Succeeded byas Former U.S. Representative |
| People | |
|---|---|
| Other | |
