Dear John:
A few days ago, Brad wrote to you about Jamaal Bowman, an educator and progressive leader in the Bronx who is running to unseat 30-year incumbent Rep. Eliot Engel.
The tide is turning to Jamaal! In the last week, The New York Times and Elizabeth Warren endorsed him -- joining Bernie Sanders, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Working Families Party, Justice Democrats, and many others.
Progressives are uniting around Jamaal because he represents a new and hopeful future -- one that puts people first.
In response, incumbent Rep. Eliot Engel’s supporters -- including a Republican-funded super PAC -- have launched nasty attacks, mischaracterizing Jamaal’s positions on Israel in an attempt to divide and scare Jewish voters. Brad just wrote a powerful op-ed urging liberal Jews not to take the bait.
The past few months have shown us just how much Congress needs courageous, progressive Black leaders like Jamaal Bowman. He represents an alternative to decades of widening inequality and systemic racism. Engel represents more of the same.
Thank you so much -- please continue to stay safe,
-- Team Lander
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Dear John:
As a public school teacher and principal in the Bronx, Jamaal has deep knowledge of the inequities that poverty, racism, and years neglect have fostered. He is running on a platform that prioritizes education funding, universal healthcare, and a Green New Deal -- investments in a more equitable, healthier, and sustainable collective future.
With the historic challenge of a just recovery from the COVID-19 crisis and the thunderous energy of the Black Lives Matter movement, this moment calls for leaders who are ready to tackle the status quo head-on.
That’s why we need Jamaal Bowman fighting for us in Congress.
Jamaal is challenging 16-term incumbent Rep. Eliot Engel in the June 23 primary. The 16th District includes parts of the Bronx and Westchester, including New Rochelle, one of the first COVID-19 hotspots in our state. As the pandemic raged through New York, Rep. Engel was nowhere to be found. He stayed in his Maryland home while claiming to be in “both places.”
Then, more recently, Rep. Engel was overheard while asking to speak at a rally against police brutality in the Bronx, saying, “if I didn’t have a primary, I wouldn’t care.”
The New York Times has endorsed Jamaal Bowman, citing that quote from Engel as evidence that he has lost his connection to his district, and to the issues that matter. In contrast, they cited Bowman’s work as an educator and a fierce advocate for public schools. “We need political imagination,” Bowman told them.
In a desperate bid to save his seat, Rep. Engel and his allies are spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on mailers and text campaigns to fearmonger about Jamaal -- funded by donations from defense contractors and other corporate PACs.
Rep. Engel chairs the Foreign Relations Committee and has long pushed hawkish views on foreign policy, from voting for the Iraq War to voting against the Iran Deal. In contrast, Jamaal’s campaign is rooted in the values of equity and justice. He is dedicated to pursuing transformative policies to ensure equity in education, housing, and healthcare, and shares a progressive foreign policy vision that reflects those values.
But beyond that, Jamaal’s actions during the COVID-19 crisis stand in stark contrast to Rep. Engel's. Jamaal has been delivering meals with mutual aid networks, speaking with residents about their struggles, and directing his campaign volunteers to do community check-in calls.
And In recent days, Jamaal has been in the streets with protesters, speaking powerfully about his experiences with police violence as a Black man in the Bronx.
Early voting starts today, and Jamaal’s grassroots campaign has just 10 days left to win this uphill race against a powerful, well-funded incumbent.
Thank you so much for your support - stay safe,
- Brad
P.S. I’ll be joining Jamaal on Monday night to kick off a #JewsforJamaal phonebank hosted by The Jewish Vote. Sign up to join us here:
