Bowman’s critics say his behavior in Congress ultimately cost him his seat. Bowman pulled a fire alarm in a House office building last year, forcing an evacuation. He pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge, and the House formally censured him. Latimer attacked Bowman as a showboat who cared more about building a national profile on the far left than his district. He often pointed to Bowman’s vote against an infrastructure bill, one of President Biden’s biggest legislative achievements. Bowman has said he voted against it because it did not include liberal social spending priorities such as increased funding for child care.
The congressman expressed frustration during the campaign that so little of his work on issues such as curbing gun violence got attention. Bowman’s fiery rhetoric often made headlines, including at a rally on Saturday when he forcefully denounced AIPAC and bellowed, “We are gonna show f--king AIPAC the power of the motherf--king South Bronx.” (The South Bronx is not in his district.)
Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-N.Y.), who does represent the South Bronx, ripped Bowman’s use of profanity as an “unhinged tirade,” writing on X that it was “unbecoming of a Member of Congress.”
