Latimer has twice as much campaign cash as Bowman as they hurdle toward Dem primary

Westchester County Executive George Latimer continues to dominate the chase for campaign cash in his Democratic primary race against Rep. Jamaal Bowman for Bowman's House seat.

Bowman, who has held the seat since 2021, stepped up his fundraising and hauled in $1.3 million in the first three months of the year. But Latimer, a seasoned office holder and familiar name in Westchester, raked in $2.2 million and had twice as much in his coffers as the incumbent as of March 31, according to financial reports the two campaigns filed Monday night.

Latimer remains the lopsided favorite with donors who live in and near New York's 16th Congressional District, which takes in the southern half of Westchester and a sliver of the north Bronx. The new filings show he collected more than $770,000 from all of Westchester and the Bronx, about 10 times as much as Bowman's $74,000 in funds from those areas.

But Latimer also broadened his donor network, adding large hauls from California, Florida and other states. Roughly two-thirds of individual donations listed in his new filing came from outside Westchester and the Bronx, compared to just over a quarter of those in his initial haul after launching his campaign in December.

Both candidates, in fact, have mined campaign gold in California. Latimer raised $233,000 in the Golden State from January to March, while Bowman took in a whopping $410,000 there, according to their reports. More than 92% of the funding from Bowman's listed donations came from outside his district.

The tide of cash from afar reflects national interest in an intra-party race, driven at least partly by the two Democrats' differences on Israel and its war against Hamas in Gaza. Bowman's vocal criticism of Israel has helped fuel enormous support for Latimer from the outset of their race, while also stoking progressive and pro-Palestinian backing for Bowman.

Latimer's latest filing shows that issue's continued potency, with two months to go before early voting starts for the June 25 primary.

According to the report, he reaped almost $1 million from donors who made their stance clear by giving through the website of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, the pro-Israel group known as AIPAC. He has strongly supported Israel and was urged to challenge Bowman by Jewish leaders and constituents in the 16th District and by AIPAC.

Republican donors in the mix

Some of the contributions flowing to Latimer have come from Republican donors, triggering criticism from Bowman's campaign and the progressive Working Families Party. On Tuesday, the party's New York chapter — which is supporting Bowman's re-election — identified six people who gave money to Latimer in his latest filing who also have plowed funds into various GOP campaigns, including Donald Trump's.

In an emailed statement, party co-director Ana Maria Archila questioned if that support would deter Latimer from standing up to "MAGA extremists" as a congressman, as he vowed in his first commercial.

"How can we trust that someone rubbing elbows with Trump donors will do the right thing when it comes to protecting our reproductive freedoms, stopping gun violence, and addressing the climate crisis?” she asked.

Big haul: Pro-Israel and local donors power Latimer to big lead over Bowman in funds for primary

Latimer's campaign said in response that Latimer is "a progressive Democrat who is drawing support from across the political spectrum" and has a record of achievements on affordable housing, child care subsidies and other areas to prove his progressive credentials. It also chided Bowman for voting with "MAGA Republicans against President Biden's infrastructure bill and in favor of shutting down the government."

"With all of his scandals it's no surprise that Bowman's allies want to talk about anything except his record," the statement read.

One Latimer donor singled out by the Working Families Party was Daniel Loeb, a hedge-fund billionaire who has poured cash into both Republican and Democratic campaigns at the federal and state level — including at least $650,000 to GOP congressional funds in 2022, federal records show. He contributed $3,300 to Latimer’s campaign in March.

Picking sides: House Dem leaders back Bowman in primary, while Latimer racks up endorsements back home

What do Latimer, Bowman say about their fundraising?

Latimer, who launched his first TV and internet ad last week, finished the quarter with $3 million in his coffers. In a statement last week, he credited his fundraising success to his reputation as an "effective leader" and hunger among voters for "change and commonsense solutions, not rhetoric."

"Whether it’s making our streets safer, creating more affordable housing, defending abortion rights, or getting guns off our streets, I’ve done the work and delivered results," Latimer said.

Bowman, who had nearly $1.5 million in his coffers by March 31, touts his many small donations as a sign of his appeal to voters outside the donor class. He posted on X about his latest haul: "1.3 million dollars from 10,000 people, and 70% of those donations less than $30? Shoutout to all the *people* powering our campaign, from the grassroots!"

Chris McKenna covers government and politics for The Journal News and USA Today Network. Reach him at cmckenna@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Latimer holds massive campaign cash lead over Bowman in House primary