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An Idealistic Ex-Principal is Bound For Washington After Belief-Powered Upset

By CRYSTAL LEWIS
Posted 7/30/20

“When I started teaching, it was in the South Bronx—the poster child for urban decay—so very early on, I took a social-justice position as a Teacher,” said Jamaal Bowman, 44, the Democratic nominee for New York's 16th Congressional District, who defeated the 16-term incumbent Rep. Eliot Engel in the primary. “I wanted to empower black and brown students to make change in their communities in a way that I was never empowered. That perspective has followed me throughout my congressional run.”

Mr. Bowman, who lives in Yonkers with his wife and three children, has dedicated the past two decades to helping educate and inspire city public-school students. On July 17, he was officially declared winner of the June 23 primary with 55 percent of the vote after absentee ballots were counted. His success, alongside a win by 33-year-old attorney Mondaire Jones, who pulled ahead of seven candidates to replace retiring Rep. Nita Lowey, marked victories for progressive Democrats.

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