Jewish Democrats go to war with The Squad: the coalition goes against Jamaal Bowman and Cori Bush by supporting their main opponents
- JDCA endorses George Latimer in New York and Wesley Bell in Missouri
- Endorsements are part of a larger group, bringing the total number of endorsements to 83
- The group focused on mobilizing Jewish voters to help elect Democrats
The Jewish Democratic Council of America has announced a new set of candidate endorsements for 2024, including backing the main opponents of two members of The Squad.
The JDCA announced it is endorsing House candidate George Latimer for the New York 16th District seat, just north of New York City, in the primary against Congressman Jamaal Bowman.
It also supports the candidacy of Wesley Bell, who is leading the primary to unseat Congresswoman Cori Bush in Missouri’s 1st District in St. Louis.
The endorsements from the two main challengers on Thursday were part of a larger group of candidate endorsements by the Jewish Democratic group, which promises to mobilize Jewish voters before November to help elect Democrats.
Rep. Jamaal Bowman, D-N.Y., speaks at a news conference calling for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in November 2023
Rep. Cori Bush, D-Mo., speaks in Washington during a rally on Oct. 18
It comes as Bowman and Bush have been outspoken critics of Israel in the ongoing war in Gaza following the Oct. 7 Hamas terror attack.
Latimer is currently the Westchester County Executive and a former New York State Senator and Assemblyman. He formally launched his bid for the seat in December, arguing that Bowman was good at attracting attention but less so at getting results.
Bowman has also recently drawn criticism from Jewish groups for his calls for a ceasefire and to boycott Israeli President Isaac Herzog’s speech to Congress last summer.
Wesley Bell announced in late October that he was entering the primary for Missouri’s 1st District seat in St. Louis.
He originally ran in the Democratic Senate primaries, but announced he would instead challenge Bush after her criticism of Israel following the Hamas attack.
Bell was elected St. Louis County prosecutor and ousted the longtime incumbent in 2018. He previously served as a public defender and member of the city council.
George Latimer is running against Representative Bowman in New York’s 16th Congressional District primary. He is the executive of Westchester County
St. Louis County Prosecutor Wesley Bell is running against Rep. Bush in the first Democratic primary in Missouri’s Congressional District
In endorsing Bell and Latimer, as well as the other candidates, JDCA President Ron Klein denounced the “incompetence” of Republicans and the “extremism” of Donald Trump, calling it dangerous for Jewish Americans.
He said the supporters “not only share our fundamental values as Jewish Americans, but are also experienced leaders who fervently oppose the right-wing extremism that endangers our community.”
The JDCA PAC is launching a $1.5 million mobilization campaign aimed at mobilizing Jewish voters to help elect Democrats.
In total, the group has endorsed 83 candidates in the cycle, as well as the re-election of President Biden and Vice President Harris.
Other endorsements Thursday included Senate candidates Ruben Gallego in Arizona, Adam Schiff in California, Elissa Slotkin in Michigan, Debbie Mucarsel-Powell in Florida and Colin Allred in Texas.