Chris Hayes shredded for saying Jamaal Bowman's NY primary race was 'dead heat' without AIPAC's influence

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: MSNBC host Chris Hayes suggested that the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) played a significant role in New York Rep Jamaal Bowman's surprising primary defeat on June 25, claiming the race would have been much closer without their influence.

"[H]aving spent a fair amount of time around members of [C]ongress, a $14 million dollar money bomb is totally bananas and there's just nothing like it and no candidate anywhere with the ability to deal with it," Hayes wrote on X, referring to the reported $14.5 million AIPAC invested in the race to unseat Bowman, a staunch critic of Israel, in New York's 16th Congressional District.

George Latimer secures decisive Democratic primary victory

Democratic challenger George Latimer was quickly declared the winner, with early morning results on June 26 showing a substantial double-digit lead, marking a rare and decisive rejection of an incumbent by his own party's voters.

Bowman has vocally supported Palestinians during the Gaza conflict, accusing Israel of committing genocide in the area.

In his campaign, Latimer contended that Bowman had become disconnected from his district's constituents.

Semafor's Benjy Sarlin mentioned to Hayes that AIPAC targeted the race partly due to Bowman's polling vulnerabilities this year, including his embarrassing incident of pulling a fire alarm.

"I think w/o AIPAC it's probably a dead heat of a race and all the motivating factors you note are real and still very much at play," Hayes wrote to Sarlin.

Throughout his campaign, Bowman frequently criticized AIPAC, pledging at a rally on June 22 to overcome the organization.

AIPAC has drawn scrutiny from anti-Israel progressives who argue it wields excessive political influence.

"We are going to show f**king AIPAC, the power of the motherf****** South Bronx!" Bowman said at the rally, which was held outside the congressional district's boundaries. The 16th district does not include the South Bronx.

Chris Hayes faces backlash over Jamaal Bowman polling remarks

Hayes' perspective faced swift criticism, with detractors pointing out that Bowman's polling issues had been evident for months.

"Bowman was down 17 points before AIPAC ever aired an ad in this race," Tablet's Noam Blum wrote to Hayes, according to Fox News. 

"AIPAC could never exist and enough decent human beings still live in Westchester County and the Bronx to be utterly horrified about Jamaal Bowman laughing and mocking off the GoPro'd rapes of women and slaughtering of infants as 'lies' and 'propaganda.' He did it to himself," National Review's Jeff Blehar added.

On the night of June 25, Bowman's defeat by Latimer marked the first primary loss of a House member from either party in the 2024 election cycle.

Bowman's loss also signifies the first time a member of the progressive "Squad" has been ousted from their seat, with Latimer securing the Democratic nomination over Bowman.

Chris Hayes criticized on social media

Chris Hayes' opinion not only faced immediate backlash from critics but also on social media in general. 

One viewer shared, "Hayes is another hack, posing as a journalist."

In a similar vein, another observer chimed in, "Something is not quite right with Bowman or Chris Hayes. 🤭"

Moreover, an individual highlighted, "He can say whatever he wants. But his foul mouthed, fake muscle show on stage did him in. It exposed his lack of intelligence and furthered his image of relying solely on the race card."

Adding to the conversation, a follower contributed, "Chris Hayes is Rachel Maddow in drag, you never see them at the same time."

A comment emphasized, "Leave Chris Hayes alone. He is transitioning. I truly believe he will be a happier, more productive human when he looks exactly like Maddow."

Echoing this sentiment, another comment noted, "Chris Hayes is seriously challenging Joy "Race card" Reid and Rachel "Madcow" Maddow as the most worthless talk show host on MSDNC!"

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