WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-N.Y.), a progressive firebrand and outspoken advocate for Palestinians rights, lost his Democratic primary on Tuesday, marking the first defeat of an incumbent member of the ultraliberal Squad and a major setback for the countrys once-ascendant activist left.

Westchester County Executive George Latimer , 70, defeated Bowman, 48, in New Yorks 16th Congressional District, which encompasses the lower half of suburban Westchester County and a sliver of the northeastern Bronx. Latimer, a 35-year veteran of Westchester politics, is all but assured a seat in Congress come November since the solid Democratic seat is not competitive in the general election.

In his remarks to supporters on Tuesday night, Latimer inverted Bowmans formulation of the race as the many versus the money.

What we see tonight is, in fact, the many, Latimer said. This is the many of Westchester and the Bronx.

Speaking to reporters at his election party as festivities wound down, Latimer said he had yet to hear from Bowman.

Latimer benefited from the fundraising and super PAC support of pro-Israel groups, including the American Israel Public Affairs Committee and the Democratic Majority for Israel. AIPACs super PAC alone spent nearly $15 million pummeling Bowman in TV, digital and direct-mail advertising, contributing to pro-Latimer outside groups nine-to-one spending advantage over Bowman-aligned independent spending programs.

That some of AIPACs biggest super PAC donors are Republican billionaires and multimillionaires was a source of particular frustration for Bowman and his progressive allies.

Usama Andrabi, a spokesperson for Justice Democrats, the left-wing group that first recruited Bowman to run in the 2020 cycle, predicted AIPACs spending would have a chilling effect, dampening congressional Democrats appetite for outspoken criticism of Israel.

AIPAC is functionally giving a warning shot to the entire Democratic caucus that if you speak out against [Israeli Prime Minister] Benjamin Netanyahu or criticize the Israeli government, this is what can happen to you, said Andrabi, whose group also erected the biggest super PAC in Bowmans corner.

AIPAC and its allies have indeed made a major statement to any would-be crusaders against the pro-Israel establishment. Rep. Cori Bush (D-Mo.), another Squad member elected in 2020, is AIPACs next target. She faces a challenge from Wesley Bell , the St. Louis County prosecutor, on Aug. 6.

Framing Bowmans loss exclusively as a tale of AIPACs might felling a measured skeptic of the Jewish state is a bit too convenient, however both for Bowman allies loath to admit his errors, and for pro-Israel groups hoping to strike fear into the hearts of all progressive Democrats.

The reality of what occurred is more complex . Bowman isnt just any critic of Israel, and New Yorks 16th isnt just any district.

Thanks to a nonpartisan voter registration and turnout drive from Westchester Unites , a group funded by the Orthodox Unions Teach Coalition, Jewish residents roughly 1 in 8 members of the voting-age population made up more than one-third of the voters who cast early ballots in the primary, according to the groups estimates.

And after the Hamas terror attack on Oct. 7 and the ferocious Israeli invasion of Gaza, Bowman questioned the evidence of Hamas sexual assaults, routinely accused Israel of committing genocide and aligned himself with the anti-Zionist Democratic Socialists of America steps that cost him the support of J Street , a liberal pro-Israel group, and progressive Jews who were once his influential backers.

Diane Katz, a White Plains homemaker attending Latimers event with her husband Gary, an attorney and investor, said she was, very relieved, very happy with Latimers win.

I kept thinking, what would it be like if he was elected again? said Katz, an Israel supporter who was wearing inscribed dog tags to raise awareness about Israeli hostages captured on Oct. 7. I dont know what the next few years would have been like for me as a citizen of this country.

In addition, Bowman gave his foes ample fodder to paint him as a thorn in President Joe Bidens side. In ads, the super PAC affiliated with AIPAC highlighted Bowmans 2021 vote against the bipartisan infrastructure law, and to a lesser extent, his 2023 vote against a debt ceiling deal.

Bowman also pulled the fire alarm on his way to a vote in a congressional office building in late September. Its a decision he says was an accident and for which he has apologized, but the negative news cycle further undermined him with gettable voters just days before Oct. 7 injected new volatility into the race.

Great candidates run in primaries when they have vulnerable opponents, said Mark Mellman, president of the Democratic Majority for Israel.

And Latimer was perhaps the dream candidate for people looking to dislodge Bowman. Burnishing his liberal credentials in 2017 when he unseated a Republican county executive, Latimer enacted a raft of socially liberal policies, such as banning gun shows on county property and welcoming immigrants , as well as some popular bread-and-butter reforms like making select buses free in the summer and creating a right to counsel for families facing eviction.

That made it harder for Bowmans allies to credibly paint him as a Republican tool by tying him to AIPAC mega-donors who have supported former President Donald Trump .

Latimers supporters are trying to portray George as a progressive. And he is. I voted for George and Ive been a supporter of him as county executive, Howard Horowitz, a Bowman supporter from New Rochelle, told HuffPost earlier this month. I cant believe he sold out to AIPAC money.

Perhaps more importantly, Latimer was a ubiquitous presence in Westchester, showing up at public school award ceremonies, life cycle events, local party meetings, and even progressive activist get-togethers.

Bowman had contempt for Latimers focus on relationships and glad-handing, describing it as window dressing for his lack of progressive vision.

He doesnt do anything. Hes a retail politician, Bowman told HuffPost in late May. He has coffee with Dem leaders to make them feel good about themselves.

But voters appreciated Latimers appearances. Michelle Jones, a health care worker from Yonkers who met Latimer at a Memorial Day cookout, remembered him quietly attending her local SEIU 1199 union meetings and sitting in the back. Hes a personable person, she said.

Tony Russo, an Irvington liquor store owner, voted for Bowman in 2022 but prefers what he sees as Latimers consensus-driven style of governing.

Bowman is a good guy, and very passionate in what he believes in, Russo said. Im just a longtime friend of George Latimer for 40 years and admire the way he conducts himself.

Bowman tried to campaign on his local accomplishments as well. He touted, for example, his work securing a mass COVID-19 vaccination site in the Bronxs Co-op City development.

Its someone that cares, another working family person that cares and is actually working for us and not, like, corporate stuff, said Ebony Hollingsworth, a customer-service representative from Co-op City and volunteer for the Working Families Party, which is backing Bowman.

But Bowman emphasized national concerns more often in his remarks rhetoric he believed creates movements in grassroots organizing that leads to American revolutions. And his campaigns effort to claim credit for bringing $1 billion in federal funds to the district was easily debunked.

In the final days and weeks of his campaign, Bowman seemed to have resigned himself to defeat and instead set out to demonize AIPAC and other pro-Israel groups as much as possible on his way out.