Democratic voters in Rep. Jamaal Bowman congressional district support a ceasefire in Israel’s war in Gaza and overwhelmingly disapprove of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, according to a new poll.
More than two-thirds of Democratic voters in the Westchester County-based NY-16 district say they would be more likely to support a candidate who backs a ceasefire in the bloody conflict, compared to just 22% who say the same about someone who opposes a ceasefire, the survey found.
Bowman, a two-term progressive lawmaker, is one of the most visible proponents of a ceasefire and a powerful critic of Israel’s ongoing war, which it launched after the Oct. 7 terror attack carried out by the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas.
He is facing a powerful Democratic primary challenge from Westchester County Executive George Latimer, who is a strong supporter of Israel and has received significant support from pro-Israel donors and the controversial American Israel Public Affairs Committee.
The poll was paid for by the Working Families Party, which is backing Bowman‘s reelection.
The survey was conducted by Upswing Strategies and polled 601 likely Democratic primary voters in the district between March 5 and 10. It has a 4% margin of error.
Support for a ceasefire was even stronger among Black voters at 84% while 74% young Democratic voters backed that position.
The poll was taken before the U.S. abstained Monday from a UN Security Council resolution demanding a ceasefire. Israel has shrugged off the binding motion and shows no signs of halting its military campaign that has already killed more than 30,000 Palestinians.
Netanyahu, a right-wing hardliner, is unpopular among NY-16 voters with only 12% having a favorable opinion of him compared to 66% who view him unfavorably, according to the poll.
Jewish voters were even less likely to have a positive view of Netanyahu, with just 11% favorable and 73% unfavorable.
Netanyahu has become even more of a lightning rod in recent days since powerful Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer called on him to step aside and for Israel to pick a new leader.
Bowman backs that call from Schumer, the nation’s most-senior elected Jewish leader in history, while Latimer does not.
Bowman is a former Bronx middle school principal who lives in Yonkers.
The heavily Democratic NY-16 district encompasses most of southern Westchester County, including the majority-minority cities Mount Vernon and New Rochelle, along with affluent suburbs like Scarsdale with large Jewish communities.
Its boundaries were tweaked in the recent redistricting effort, with Bowman picking up the Co-op City area of the Bronx, which he previously represented during his first two years in Congress.
