{"id":2969,"date":"2022-02-22T09:50:00","date_gmt":"2022-02-22T14:50:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ajcongress.org\/jewishpoliticalguide\/?page_id=2969"},"modified":"2022-08-22T14:04:16","modified_gmt":"2022-08-22T18:04:16","slug":"state-of-the-race-new-yorks-16th-congressional-district","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/ajcongress.org\/jewishpoliticalguide\/state-of-the-race-new-yorks-16th-congressional-district\/","title":{"rendered":"State of the Race: New York’s 16th Congressional District"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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The Democratic Primary<\/strong> Race<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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March 24, 2022<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

With the midterm elections looming, political incumbents and challengers are gearing up for a hard-fought campaign season. In our \u201cState of the Race\u201d series, the Jewish Political Guide<\/a> will explore a variety of important battles that will shape the conversation in electoral politics. In the upcoming months, these races will afford a sneak peek into the candidate’s policy positions and agenda, and, most importantly, provide a glimpse into the makeup of the 118th Congress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Increased political polarization has led to more and more candidates espousing controversial policy perspectives and points of view. On the left and on the right, we have seen candidates that cozy up with antisemitic extremists, as well as those that want to redefine the longstanding bipartisan support for Israel. As we approach relevant primary races that will be defined by some of these debates, our Jewish Political Guide will dissect the candidates\u2019 positions and their differences on substance and approach. 
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Today we are focusing on New York\u2019s 16th Congressional District.
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New York\u2019s 16th Congressional District \u2013 Democratic Primary Race<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

NY-16 was redrawn as part of the broader state redistricting process; however, it remains a solid Democratic stronghold. President Biden won the district by a margin of over 50% in 2020.  Based on that year\u2019s data, he would have won the redrawn district with a margin of 39.5%. Therefore, the primary will most likely determine who will represent the district in the 118th Congress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Incumbent Representative Jamaal Bowman<\/strong> was first elected in 2020, after he defeated Rep. Eliot Engel, a pro-Israel stalwart and the then-Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, in the Democratic primary. The then-candidate Bowman, who was endorsed by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and the Justice Democrats, was criticized for some of his expressed positions on issues affecting the Jewish community and Israel. Now, after two years in Congress, he has a track record on which he can be judged by his Jewish constituents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Westchester County Legislator Vedat Gashi<\/strong> is the only remaining challenger to Rep. Bowman, after Manuel Casanova dropped out<\/a> of the race and lent his endorsement to Gashi. In recent weeks, Gashi has aimed to position himself as a moderate candidate and to differentiate himself from Rep. Bowman on some important issues that matter to the Jewish community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read below about where the two candidates stand on some of these important issues. <\/p>\n\n\n\n