Democratic New York Rep. Jamaal Bowman has lost his reelection bid for Congress.
Bowman’s competitor George Latimer defeated him in Tuesday’s Democratic primary in New York’s 16th Congressional District.
“This race was hard-fought, and hard-won,” Lattimer said in his victory speech.
Bowman also becomes the first member of the “Squad,” a progressive, far-left group of Congressmen to be voted out.
The Democrat made headlines in October 2023 after a video emerged of him pulling a U.S. Capitol fire alarm in the Cannon Building while rushing to make the vote for the bill that would determine a government shutdown.
Bowman asserted at the time that he pulled the fire alarm because he was trying to open a door that was unexpectedly locked.
“I came to a door that is usually open for votes but today would not open,” Bowman explained in a statement. “I am embarrassed to admit that I activated the fire alarm, mistakenly thinking it would open the door.”
According to guidance sent to Democrat offices, Bowman “was not attempting to delay the vote that he intended to vote yes on, and was simply just trying to rush to the Capitol.”
The guidance added that Republicans have used the event as a means to “minimize January 6th insurrectionists.”
“Republicans need to instead focus their energy on the Nazi members of their party before anything else,” the guidance read.
Republicans called for the situation to receive similar treatment for committing a felony as the greatly-politicized January 6 defendants have faced.
