HILL READY FOR LATIMER: It’s not common to see a primary challenger get a warm welcome on Capitol Hill after ousting an incumbent. But various House Democrats from different factions of the caucus predicted today that Westchester County Executive George Latimer could fit right in after toppling Rep. Jamaal Bowman in Tuesday's contentious and expensive primary. (The party has to get through the general in NY-16, but Latimer is expected to win election in the Democrat-dominated district.) “I think George will be a great member,” said Rep. Grace Meng of Queens, who was neutral in the primary and served with Latimer in the state Assembly. “I’m also thankful to have been able to serve with Jamaal Bowman. He is our colleague, and his voice had a role in our caucus as well.” Rep. Gregory Meeks of Queens, who chairs the Congressional Black Caucus PAC, which endorsed Bowman in his primary, said, “Look, when any person wins — and there’s been various members that have been challenged previously, and new members have won — they come in and they become part of this team.” Rep. Jerry Nadler of Manhattan predicted only “maybe a couple of people” would have hard feelings toward Latimer. — Nicholas Wu and Daniella Diaz IT WASN’T JUST THE MONEY: Pro-Israel groups dropped a nearly $15 million hammer on Bowman in his blowout loss to Latimer. But Latimer’s allies insist it wasn’t just the flood of cash that flowed to the district from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee and its super PAC, the United Democracy Project. “It would have been a lot tighter because of just the factor that Bowman is an incumbent,” Democratic Assemblymember Amy Paulin, who supported Latimer, told Playbook. “But the Jewish community really came together in a way before that I’ve never seen for a candidate.” A veteran politician in Westchester County, Latimer benefited from unusually high name recognition for a candidate challenging a two-term incumbent. And then there were the self-inflicted wounds for Bowman, like his misdemeanor conviction for pulling a fire alarm during a House vote and his vote against an infrastructure spending package. “If you have the right message, the money will help you project it and get it to voters,” New York Democratic Chair Jay Jacobs said. “If you don’t, all the money in the world won’t help you.” — Nick Reisman GOP GAINS: Republicans want to cut into the Democratic supermajorities in the state Legislature. And the Republican State Leadership Committee is trying to make it happen. A day after primary voters left incumbent state lawmakers unscathed, the RSLC signaled New York is among a handful of blue states whose legislatures the 527 group is trying to target. “Targeting states like New York and Illinois, where Democrats hold supermajorities, could pay off as Republicans have the potential to erode these overwhelming margins, restoring more balanced legislative power,” the group’s president Dee Duncan wrote in a memo to donors sent today. But making gains in New York is a challenge for Republicans, who lost their final lever of statewide power when Democrats gained a full majority in the state Senate in 2018. Even in good years for Republicans — like 2022, when crime and the controversial cashless bail law created a backlash for House Democratic candidates — the party has struggled to make meaningful strides in the state Assembly or the Senate. — Nick Reisman
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