Hakeem Jeffries’ Spox Basks in Progressive Tears After Jamaal Bowman’s Defeat: ‘They Have Failed Miserably’

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) appears to be shedding no tears over the defeat of his colleague, Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-NY), in a Democratic primary contest on Tuesday night.

Bowman, a progressive Democrat whose denial of Hamas’ sexual crimes on October 7 and pulling of a fire alarm in the Capitol complex last year has mad him notorious, was easily dispatched by Westchester County Executive George Latimer on Tuesday. As of early Wednesday morning, Latimer boasted a commanding, nearly 17-point lead over Bowman.

Speaking to The New York Times about Bowman’s loss, a spokesman for the Justice Democrats — a group committed to “recruiting and supporting progressive Democrats all over the country,” including Bowman — called Bowman “a model, not a warning, for what political leadership can look like.” That same spokesman went on to blame Jeffries, who actually endorsed Bowman, for the congressman’s loss.

“The outcome of this election is a reflection on his leadership and whether Hakeem Jeffries stood up to Republican megadonors,” he said.

This prompted a scintillating reply from Jeffries’ team. His spokeswoman, Christie Stephenson, fired back by observing that “The so-called Justice Democrats stated back in 2017 that their goal was to destroy the Democratic Party, and they laughably threatened to primary Hakeem Jeffries. “They have failed miserably in every way. Is anyone surprised?”

The Justice Democrats were not the only progressive group to gnash their teeth in the wake of Bowman’s defeat.

Our Revolution, a progressive political organization founded by members of Senator Bernie Sanders’s (I-VT) 2016 presidential campaign, also blamed Democratic leadership for Bowman’s loss.

“Tonight’s outcome puts the glaring hypocrisy of Democratic Party elites on full display,” said Joseph Geevarghese, the group’s executive director. “Rest assured that millions of young, diverse, and progressive voters across the country see these stunning contradictions, and they are disgusted that Party leaders are sitting idly by as special interests unseat a popular and progressive Black man from Congress.”