Latimer-Bowman debate: Israel and fire alarms

Presented by Amazon: POLITICO's must-read briefing informing the daily conversation among knowledgeable New Yorkers

May 14, 2024 View in browser   By Nick Reisman, Jeff Coltin and Emily Ngo Presented by  With help from Irie Sentner Rep. Jamaal Bowman and his challenger George Latimer clashed again and again Monday in their first televised debate in the closely watched Democratic primary in the Bronx and Westchester County. | News 12 If the Monday night debate is any indication, the Democratic House primary between Rep. Jamaal Bowman and Westchester County Executive George Latimer is running exceedingly hot ahead of the June 25 primary. Latimer and Bowman traded angry barbs over Israel, crime and, of course, that fire alarm incident during the hour-long debate hosted by News 12 in the Westchester-Bronx district. The Democratic primary is likely the most contentious in the nation, and it showed in a debate that threatened to go off the rails: The candidates repeatedly interrupted each other and accused one another of getting cozy with Republicans, POLITICO reported. Bowman at one point claimed he was being portrayed as “the angry Black man” after he was asked to limit interruptions. Latimer accused Bowman of “setting a record for lying.” Here are six takeaways from the heated debate: MAGA and me: Bowman has tried to turn the more than $600,000 in donations from AIPAC to Latimer as a campaign negative, linking him to former President Donald Trump’s Make America Great Again movement. “AIPAC is funded by right-wing Republicans who want to destroy our democracy,” Bowman said during an especially chippy exchange with Latimer. It’s a potentially potent line of attack in a Democratic primary when base voters, who largely find Trump toxic, will be casting ballots next month. Abortion politics: Both men lined up in support of abortion rights. But Latimer has been quick to point to the concrete actions he made as county executive and previously as a state senator to shore up reproductive laws and access in New York. It’s a point he’s made in his TV ad and again in the debate. It’s key for him in order to counter Bowman’s framing of him as being backed by “MAGA Republicans” who have seeded AIPAC. And Latimer on Monday night was quick to note AIPAC has supported Democrats like House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and lawmakers in the Congressional Black Caucus. “Look at the actions of the individual,” Latimer said as he sought to counter the AIPAC criticism. Bowman in the middle: Bowman wants to work with President Joe Biden. He agrees with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should step down. A Squad member first elected in 2020, Bowman sought to portray himself as a mainstream Democrat who supports the party’s leadership in Washington. It’s a contrast (and a counter) to how the Latimer campaign has tried to paint Bowman as an out-of-touch, far-left incumbent who voted against Biden’s signature infrastructure spending package and who is way out of the comfort zone for many Jewish voters with his criticism of Israel. It’s not just about Israel: Latimer did not solely dwell on Israel, his clearest policy point of departure from Bowman in one of the districts with the largest Jewish population in the United States. The county executive doesn’t want “535 secretaries of state” in Congress and isn’t willing to second guess how Biden is handling the ongoing war. He regards “from the river to the sea,” heard at protests across the country, as an antisemitic chant. But he hasn’t tried to pick a direct fight over Israel policy with Bowman. And it’s a contrast Latimer doesn’t necessarily have to point out. Bowman’s own stance and statements may have fueled AIPAC’s donations to his opponent. Bowman in the debate was complimentary of the protesters on college campuses who have demonstrated against the war, and he visited Columbia University’s protest last month. “I saw a library, I saw mental health supports, I saw students protesting peacefully,” Bowman said of the Columbia protest. “We have to open doors, build bridges.” It’s all local: Latimer repeatedly insisted Bowman hasn’t forged any deep ties to the district, calling him “ineffective” for focusing on rhetoric and not substance. Latimer has spent decades in state and local office and challenged Bowman to name the mayors of suburban communities like Rye Brook and Irvington — underlining how his campaign has argued the lawmaker has not formed relationships in the district over the last four years. Bowman countered by questioning whether Latimer knows the name of a woman who was stabbed in Mount Vernon. “That shows you how he’s neglected Yonkers and Mount Vernon and New Rochelle and where the Black and Brown people live in poverty in this district and struggle with gun violence,” Bowman said. It’s a reminder, courtesy of Bowman, that the district of largely suburban communities isn’t only composed of upper-income earners, but also cities with diverse populations. All alarm: Bowman could not escape a question about his pulling a fire alarm in a House office building last year. Bowman insisted he “freaking did it by accident.” And then Latimer pounced, charging it was no accident at all. “Look at the video, don’t look at the act on the stage,” Latimer said. “If you lie about that, what else will he lie about?” — Nick Reisman IT’S TUESDAY: Got news? Send it our way: Jeff Coltin, Emily Ngo and Nick Reisman.   A message from Amazon: Drew turned a job at one of Amazon’s fulfillment centers into an IT career with help from Surge2IT, one of Amazon’s free, on-the-job skills training programs. Amazon combines comprehensive benefits with free on-the-job skills training to help hourly employees learn and earn more. Learn about career advancement opportunities at Amazon.   WHERE’S KATHY? In New York City making an economic development-related announcement and delivering remarks on paid prenatal leave at Moms First Summit. WHERE’S ERIC? Making an economic development-related announcement, holding an in-person media availability and delivering remarks at the Gracie Mansion Conservancy’s “Power Women of Grace Benefit.” QUOTE OF THE DAY: “Unfortunately, you won’t hear me on WABC today, because I was FIRED for refusing to give in to their demand that I stop talking about the 2020 Presidential Election.” — Former Mayor Rudy Giuliani, on X, telling his followers to flood the talk radio station with calls after owner John Catsimatidis fired him for sharing debunked conspiracy theories about the election — and demanding more airtime and pay. ABOVE THE FOLD Steve Cohen's team set up a rally in Jackson Heights Monday afternoon as the end of the session looms without the passage of a parkland alienation bill that would clear the way for his casino bid. | Mike Stobe/Getty Images CASINO QUEEN: If billionaire Steve Cohen can’t convince state Sen. Jessica Ramos to support his casino bid for the Citi Field parking lot, would a couple dozen less wealthy Queens people do the trick? Cohen‘s team set up a rally in Jackson Heights Monday afternoon as the end of the session looms without the passage of a parkland alienation bill that would clear the way for new development. “The opponents of this project, I want to ask you: 50, 60 years from now when you see that blacktop parking lot, are you going to be proud of yourself, saying hey, I opposed a $1 billion investment in the community?” said Larry Gallegos, a lobbyist for rideshare company Lyft who said he was leading the rally in his personal capacity as a Queens native. “I hope not. Because that’s embarrassing.” Gallegos was joined by nonprofit leaders, small business owners and community activists, many of whom talked appreciatively about how facetime they got with Cohen. Other elected officials and labor unions who support the project were notably absent, as the crowd chanted “we deserve nice things” and “we want jobs.” Most who spoke only talked about green space and jobs, not even mentioning a casino in the centerpiece of the Metropolitan Park proposal — an ongoing omission Ramos has criticized. So among the speakers, safe streets advocate Jim Burke was an exception. “The casinos were already approved. So that ship has sailed. We’re definitely going to get casinos in downstate New York,” he said. “The question becomes, which casino is the best deal for New Yorkers?” The rally targeted Ramos, but she was in the capital for the legislative session. And her spokesperson Astrid Aune didn’t suggest that Ramos was budging on the bills. “Steve Cohen is doing his job,” she said, “and the senator is up in Albany doing hers.” — Jeff Coltin   THE GOLD STANDARD OF POLICY REPORTING & INTELLIGENCE: POLITICO has more than 500 journalists delivering unrivaled reporting and illuminating the policy and regulatory landscape for those who need to know what’s next. Throughout the election and the legislative and regulatory pushes that will follow, POLITICO Pro is indispensable to those who need to make informed decisions fast. The Pro platform dives deeper into critical and quickly evolving sectors and industries—finance, defense, technology, healthcare, energy—equipping policymakers and those who shape legislation and regulation with essential news and intelligence from the world’s best politics and policy journalists. Our newsroom is deeper, more experienced, and better sourced than any other—with teams embedded in the world’s most active legislative and regulatory power centers. From Brussels to Washington, New York to London, Sacramento to Paris, we bring subscribers inside the conversations that determine policy outcomes and the future of industries, providing insight that cannot be found anywhere else. Get the premier news and policy intelligence service, SUBSCRIBE TO POLITICO PRO TODAY.     CITY HALL: THE LATEST Zellnor Myrie’s old campaign website, ZellnorforStateSenate.com, redirects to an Indonesian online poker site. | Courtesy of state Sen. Zellnor Myrie's office I’M SHOCKED TO FIND THAT GAMBLING IS GOING ON IN HERE: Hold your cards, and your site, close to your chest. Check out mayoral candidate Zellnor Myrie’s old campaign website, ZellnorforStateSenate.com and you’ll find an online poker site, in Indonesian. It seems Adams’ new challenger made the same mistake the mayor did — his old EricAdams2021.com website now links to a Thai gambling site. (EricAdams2025, for the record, is a dead link.) Adams still links to the ‘21 campaign site via Twitter, Facebook and Instagram — even though POLITICO first pointed out the spammy takeover three weeks ago. Myrie, meanwhile, split his hand. He’s got Zellnor.nyc for the mayoral run, and Zellnor4NY.com for his currently unopposed reelection effort for state Senate. The site now linking to poker games in Indonesian was from his 2018 race. “Whenever you let a URL expire as a sitting elected official, you’re taking a gamble,” Democratic campaign consultant Max Kramer told Playbook. “If you don’t lock up any and all variations of URLs you may want to use, your opponents, or in this case, other entities, can take advantage and then all bets are off.” Adams is the high roller of the two. His site sold for $4,300 in March, according to Domain database NameBio, while Myrie’s sold on May 1 for just $300. — Jeff Coltin SOCIAL CALENDAR: Eric Adams’ brother’s charity gala is back on for Thursday — though the mayor himself may or may not show. Bernard Adams teamed up with socialite Alisa Roever to create an access-to-arts charity, Angels Helpers NYC, which raised some concern that donors would give to it as a way to curry favor with the mayor, the Times reported. Now the gala has been moved to the Harmonie Club, a private venue on the Upper East Side after they outgrew the private restaurant at the supertall 432 Park on Billionaires' Row — where it had been moved after initially being scheduled for Adams’ favorite haunt Osteria La Bain run by his friends the Petrosyants. Roever told the Times the gala had been postponed because of a conflict with the performers, the Bronx youth group Highbridge Voices. Now it’s on the same day, but details are still being worked out, Roever said. Will the mayor come? “We hope he’s going to be there,” Roever said, but he’s very busy. — Jeff Coltin More from the city: — Adams’ office is setting up one-on-one meetings between City Council members and Randy Mastro, as the mayor moves forward with plans to nominate him as the city’s top lawyer. (Daily News) — Vision Zero led to pronounced reductions in traffic injuries but the safety trend switched dramatically during the pandemic in part due to a massive decline in NYPD traffic enforcement. (Streetsblog) — Myrie could help deny Adams a second term, even if he doesn’t win, if he and Scott Stringer together rack up enough votes to block Adams from reelection. (Crain’s New York)   A message from Amazon:   NEW FROM PLANET ALBANY The Chamber of Progress, an industry group, is set to release this week a report assessing how self-driving vehicles can prevent the loss of life. | Justin Sullivan/Getty Images SELF-DRIVING SAFETY: Self-driving vehicles have faced an unclear road to reality across the country. But as state lawmakers weigh how and whether to advance the technology in New York, the industry is trying to demonstrate the safety of self-driving cars. The Chamber of Progress, an industry group, is set to release this week a report assessing how self-driving vehicles can prevent the loss of life. The study found the technology could lead to 500 lives saved and prevent 83,000 injuries. The Chamber of Progress includes firms that have a vested interest in self-driving vehicle tech, including Uber, Lyft and Waymo. Officials in some areas have been receptive to the idea of self-driving vehicles: In New York City, the Adams administration this year announced a pilot program for autonomous cars. — Nick Reisman  More from Albany: — Dozens of lawmakers who are landlords themselves voted to exempt their own properties from the new “good cause” eviction legislation. (New York Focus) — New York Democrats could face trouble this year from independent voters not enrolled in either major party. (Daily News) — Hochul is the most powerful person in Albany, no surprise, but there are 99 other entries on the annual list. (City & State) NEW YORK STATE OF MIND — Resorts World, a company behind one of the top casino bidders, is reportedly tangled up in the federal probe into the betting scandal involving Japanese baseball superstar Shohei Ohtani. (New York Post) — Biden’s sagging poll numbers may hurt Democrats in competitive House races. (NY1) — The most endangered Democrat in America, Bowman, might lose his job over Israel. (New York Mag)   A message from Amazon: 80% of employees reported skills training is one of their top priorities according to a survey by Workplace Intelligence. But many don’t have access to the programs and opportunities they need to advance their careers. That’s why Amazon has committed $1.2 billion to free technical training and prepaid tuition, so hourly employees have the opportunity to learn and earn more. See the impact.   SOCIAL DATA Edited by Daniel Lippman MEDIAWATCH: Martin Pengelly is joining The Daily Beast as Washington bureau chief and correspondent. He previously has been Washington breaking news correspondent at the Guardian. … Shawn McCreesh is rejoining the NYT as a feature writer on the politics desk. He previously has been the media writer at N.Y. Mag. … Freelance reporter Talia Jane is joining The New Republic to cover breaking news. HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Howard Wolfson … ABC’s Karen Travers … NBC’s David Gelles … Bloomberg’s Josh Eidelson … POLITICO's Jason Beeferman … Lenwood Brooks … Alexandra Svokos … (WAS MONDAY): Lena Dunham ... Dore Feith ... Jesse Arm ... Raquel Saxe YOUR NEW YORK NUMBER OF THE DAY $66.4 million The amount computer chip manufacturing giant GlobalFoundries is seeking for a federal tax refund under the CHIPS Act.   JOIN 5/22 FOR A TALK ON THE FUTURE OF TAXATION: With Trump-era tax breaks set to expire in 2025, whoever wins control of Congress, and the White House will have the ability to revamp the tax code and with it reshape the landscape for business and social policy. Join POLITICO on May 22 for an exploration of what is at stake in the November elections with our panel dissecting the ways presidential candidates and congressional leaders are proposing to reshape our tax rates and incentives. REGISTER HERE.       Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook family Playbook  |  Playbook PM  |  California Playbook  |  Florida Playbook  |  Illinois Playbook  |  Massachusetts Playbook  |  New Jersey Playbook  |  New York Playbook  |  Ottawa Playbook  |  Brussels Playbook  |  London Playbook View all our political and policy newsletters Follow us

To change your alert settings, please log in at https://login.politico.com/?redirect=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.politico.com/settings This email was sent to rouf@idiot.cloudns.cc by: POLITICO, LLC 1000 Wilson Blvd. Arlington, VA, 22209, USA Unsubscribe | Privacy Policy | Terms of Service