US Election Primaries: Bowman Loses, Boebert Wins

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Facts

  • In US election primaries, Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-NY) lost his Democratic primary to Westchester County executive George Latimer on Tuesday after pro-Israel groups and centrists strongly backed his challenger.1
  • It's the first time that a Democratic 'Squad' member has been ousted from Congress. This occurred in New York's 16th Congressional District despite the support of Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY).2
  • In Colorado, Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) won a six-way race for the GOP nomination in the 4th Congressional District with more than 43% of the vote. She will face off against Democrat Trisha Calvarese in November.3
  • This comes six months after Boebert — the Trump-endorsed, House Freedom Caucus incumbent— decided to jump to a new district, from Colorado's Western Slope to the Eastern plains and suburbs.4
  • Other races of note included the losses of three Donald Trump-endorsed GOP candidates: Dave Williams lost to conservative radio host Jeff Crank in Colorado, Trent Staggs lost to Rep. John Curtis in Utah, and Mark Burns lost to Lt. Col. Sheri Biggs in South Carolina.5
  • Both House Republicans and Senate Democrats reportedly risk losing their slim majorities, with Cook Political Report rating 22 House districts and three Democratic-held Senate seats as 'toss-ups.'6

Sources: 1New York Times, 2FOX News, 3CBS, 4Wsj, 5ABC News and 6Forbes.

Narratives

  • Democratic narrative, as provided by POLITICO. Boebert and Bowman both represent the edges of their parties, so the contrasting outcomes in primaries speak volumes about the differences between Democratic and Republican voters. While Democrats generally want their leaders to compromise with Republicans, Republicans tend to support extremist candidates, especially those aligned with Trump.
  • Republican narrative, as provided by Daily Caller. While Trump's endorsement remains vital as he leads the GOP field in the run-up to the 2024 elections, it's certainly not infallible — especially as shown in Colorado and Utah. Yet not too much should be read into these blips — the former president and presumed GOP nominee for 2024 still has dominant sway within his party.

Predictions