New York Rep. Eliot Engel won’t serve a 17th term in Congress after liberal challenger Jamaal Bowman bested him in their Democratic primary.
Bowman, 44, claimed victory shortly after polls closed for their June 23 primary, but Engel, 73, refused to concede to the former Bronx public middle school principal. At that point, Bowman had 58% of the vote to Engel’s 35%, or a 10,183-vote lead. Several news outlets called the race for Bowman on Friday.
Engel, the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, was first elected to represent northern Bronx and southern Westchester County in 1988.
Their race was delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic before George Floyd’s death in Minneapolis police custody on Memorial Day reshaped national politics. And Engel’s hot mic moment became a viral embarrassment after he was caught asking to speak during a press conference convened to address looting amid Black Lives Matter protests.
“If I didn’t have a primary, I wouldn’t care,” he said.
Endorsements from Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, and New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez buoyed Bowman, the undisputed underdog, in the closing weeks of his bid.
The tabulation of results was prolonged by the number of absentee ballots cast because of the coronavirus outbreak, with counting not beginning until July 1.
Bowman’s win in the heavily Democratic 16th Congressional District almost assures him a seat in the 117th Congress.
