Over 1,300 registered Republican voters in New York’s 16th Congressional district recently switched parties to become Democrats ahead of the state’s Democratic primary election on June 25th. This comes after groups supporting Democratic candidate George Latimer made efforts to get Republican and independent voters to register as Democrats so they could vote in the primary.
In the primary, incumbent Democratic Congressman Jamaal Bowman will face challenger George Latimer, the Westchester County Executive. Supporters of Latimer led initiatives to get non-Democrats to switch parties before the February 14th deadline. Data shows there are now 3,000 more Democratic voters registered in the 16th district than in November, including 1,300 former Republicans.
Some believe opposition to Congressman Bowman’s stances on Israel among Westchester’s Jewish community motivated party switching. While the number of Westchester Jews who switched parties is unknown, the over 1,300 party changes could impact the tight Democratic primary. In the general November election, current Republican Congressman Mike Lawler won by just 2,100 votes in CD-17.
Another complicating factor arises from George Latimer’s acceptance of substantial funding from MAGA Republican-backed AIPAC. Many progressives view this as hypocritical, primarily since Latimer identifies as a progressive. Accepting funding from a Republican-funded organization like AIPAC while supporting Republicans switching party affiliations to influence the Democratic primary raises questions about Latimer’s absolute alignment with progressive values or if he is just a light version of Republican values.
Letter Calls for Investigation Into Voters Switching to Democratic Party
A letter to the Westchester Democratic Chairman raised concerns about Republicans and independents recently registering as Democrats. It questioned if they intended to influence the Democratic primaries unfairly. The letter cited New York election law allowing party officials to investigate voters and potentially remove those not genuinely aligned with the party.
The letter urged urgent action to address this influx of Republican registrants to uphold the integrity of the Democratic Party’s nomination process. It requested a response in five days about investigating and disqualifying those trying to manipulate the primaries. Overall, the letter calls on the Democratic Chairman to ensure only voters who share party values can participate in its primaries.
Many grassroots Democrats believe that there’s an orchestrated attempt to hinder the Democratic Party from achieving historic milestones in Westchester County, such as electing the first Black District Attorney, reelecting the first Black Congressman in CD 16, and electing the first Black Congresswoman in CD 17. They perceive this as a deliberate effort to suppress Black representation at the highest levels of government in the county. Some question the Democratic Party’s commitment to inclusivity, pointing out the contradiction in working with Republicans to potentially unseat the first Black Congressman.
