Incumbent US Rep. Jamaal Bowman is facing a unique challenger in the upcoming election season. Marc J. Wojnowski, the chairman of the Westchester County Board of Legislators, has filed to challenge Bowman in the upcoming Democratic Primary election. An outspoken critic of Bowman’s first term in office, Wojnowski is claiming that Bowman has unfairly politicized the office and has failed to meet the needs of citizens in the district.
Wojnowski is a longtime Democrat and veteran of the Westchester County Board of Legislators, a position he has held since 2001. He is known for his unique ability to bring a bipartisan approach to some of the most difficult problems facing the county. And this year Wojnowski is hoping to bring that same skill set to the US House of Representatives.
In his campaign announcement, Wojnowski took aim at Bowman’s rhetoric and proclaimed himself as the leader who could effectively represent all constituents in the district. He also accused Bowman of focusing too heavily on issues of national importance, rather than working to address the problems of everyday people in his district.
Wojnowski is up against an incumbent who has called out the Trump administration on numerous occasions for its policies, and whose legislative record is certainly progressive. Nevertheless, Wojnowski is hoping his decades of experience in Westchester County will be enough to siphon off some of Bowman’s base of support.
It remains to be seen whether Wojnowski’s challenge will be successful in unseating one of the nation’s most progressive members of Congress. But it is clear that the race in the upcoming Democratic Primary election in New York’s 16th Congressional district is heating up.
