Progressive has huge lead over establishment candidate Engle

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Progressive insurgent Jamaal Bowman was leading Rep. Eliot Engel (D-N.Y.) by double digits in one of the most heavily anticipated primaries of the year on Tuesday as officials continued to count votes.

Bowman, a former middle school principal who’s seen a late surge in the polls and fundraising, garnered 61 percent of the vote early Wednesday morning with 85 percent of precincts reporting. Engel, a 16-term incumbent, trailed in second with 36 percent of the vote.

A win by Bowman would provide progressives a huge political scalp as a number of insurgent candidates have launched challenges against establishment Democrats or longtime incumbents. Their bids have received a boost amid the nationwide protests against racial injustice roiling the country after the death of George Floyd while in police custody in Minneapolis.

Bowman would also become the second New York progressive to defeat a senior lawmaker after Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) stunned the political world by defeating former Rep. Joseph Crowley in a 2018 primary.

However, the count so far does not account for a surge in absentee ballots seen in New York as the coronavirus pandemic has led states to boost their mailed vote options. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) ordered mail-in ballot applications to be sent to every registered voter in the state for the primary, which was delayed from late April.

As of June 12, nearly 1.1 million absentee ballot requests had been received by election officials. By comparison, fewer than 158,000 absentee ballots were requested in the 2016 presidential primary, according to the state Board of Elections.

In New York, absentee ballots must be postmarked by Tuesday and received no later than June 30, meaning that officials there will still be counting absentee ballots a week after the primaries.

Bowman cast an upbeat tone at a campaign speech Tuesday night, saying his campaign was part of a broader movement to combat discrimination in the country.

Engel, who chairs the House Foreign Affairs Committee, was seen in political peril as he sought to win a 17th term as he faced criticism from Bowman and other Democrats over his absence from the district during the coronavirus pandemic.

Engel also committed a gaffe after he was caught on camera saying he needed to speak at at event against racial injustice and that he otherwise "wouldn't he care" were it not for the fact that he was facing a primary challenger.

Bowman enjoyed a surge in endorsements, including from heavy hitters like Ocasio-Cortez and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and saw a sudden fundraising spike in the lead-up to the primary.

Engel has sought to bolster his campaign by noting his high-profile perch on the Foreign Affairs panel and ability to needle President Trump and “bring home the bacon” for his constituents – but Bowman said he would be a more effective lawmaker for the district.

“Eliot Engel, and I’ll say his name once, used to say he’s a thorn in the side of Donald Trump. But you know what Donald Trump is more afraid of than anything else? A Black man with power,” he said on Tuesday night.

“The results show that this district is demanding change. This is what this district has been waiting for, this is what this country has been waiting for, and we are all here now together. So I am excited, I am happy, I am fired up. I cannot wait to get to Congress and cause problems for the people in there who have been maintaining a status quo that is literally killing our children.”

Progressives expressed excitement over Bowman’s lead, saying he would tackle important issues facing his district.