New poll finds Rep. Jamaal Bowman’s Democratic opponent, George Latimer, with a double-digit lead in NY-16 Congressional Primary

Westchester County Executive George Latimer holds a 17-point lead over Bowman in the race

Washington, D.C. (April 4, 2024) — Today, DMFI PAC released the findings of a comprehensive new poll showing Westchester County Executive George Latimer in a strong position to defeat incumbent Congressman Jamaal Bowman in the June 2024 Democratic primary race. Conducted by The Mellman Group, this survey offers important insights into the perspectives of voters in New York’s 16th Congressional District.

“To put it plainly, Congressman Bowman’s constituents are very unhappy with him but very impressed with County Executive Latimer. The combination of Latimer’s sterling image and voters’ distinctly negative assessments of Bowman may cost the incumbent congressman his seat. Bowman’s constituents are even divided on whether he even cares about them, but the vast majority believe Latimer meets that central test,” said DMFI PAC Chairman Mark Mellman. “It’s simple: George Latimer is highly regarded, while Jamaal Bowman is widely unpopular.

“On Israel issues, the data are clear – Congressman Bowman is out of touch with his constituents. A majority of primary voters in his district approve of the job President Biden is doing handling the war between Israel and Hamas and want the U.S. to support Israel.

“With a robust campaign, George Latimer is in strong position to unseat the now unpopular Congressman Bowman.”

This analysis represents the findings of a survey of 400 voters in New York’s 16th Congressional District representing the likely June 2024 Democratic primary electorate. The survey uses a registration-based sample, with interviews conducted via landline, cell, and text-to-online from March 26-30, 2024. The margin of error for the sample as a whole is +/- 4.9% at the 95% level of confidence (higher for subgroups).

Key Highlights from the Poll:

• Latimer has a 17-point lead in the horse race, with 52% of the Democratic primary vote, compared to 35% for Bowman, 0% for Farber, and 13% undecided.
  • Among those who vote most often in primaries (3 or 4 of the last 4), Latimer is even stronger, leading Bowman by 56% to 35%.
• Latimer’s double-digit lead results from his substantial image advantage. For example, while voters are quite positive about Latimer’s performance in office (68% positive, 18% negative) they judge Bowman’s performance quite negatively (36% positive, 55% negative)
• Bowman is out of touch with his constituents on Israel issues. By 59% to 28%, Democratic primary voters approve of the job Joe Biden is doing handling the war between Israel and Hamas. In addition, 62% of Democratic primary voters want the U.S. to support Israel in the current conflict while a mere 5% want the U.S. to back Hamas.

For more detailed poll results and analysis, please click here.