Jamaal Bowman's Historic Win Demonstrates Change is Coming

On Tuesday, June 23, 2020, Jamaal Bowman made history by winning the Democratic Party primary in New York State's 16th congressional district. Here's why his victory is so significant. Bowman beat Eliot Engel, a 16-term incumbent congressman who served as chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and had the backing of nearly the entire Democratic Party establishment, including former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Bowman is a member of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) and ran on an unabashedly progressive platform that included support for Medicare for All and the Green New Deal. Bowman's victory against an entrenched incumbent came on the heels of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's 2018 unseating of 10-term Congressman Joseph Crowley in the nearby 14th district of New York. There were similarities between the two races and some important differences. Both of these upstart candidates were members of the DSA, running on a progressive agenda that promoted universal health care, a quality education, a decent job, a clean environment, and affordable housing as fundamental human rights.