Jamaal Bowman | |
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Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New York's 16th district | |
Assumed office January 3, 2021 | |
Preceded by | Eliot Engel |
Personal details | |
Born | Manhattan, New York, U.S. | April 1, 1976
Political party | Democratic |
Spouse | Melissa Oppenheimer |
Children | 3 |
Education | Potomac State College University of New Haven (BA) Mercy College (MA) Manhattanville College (EdD) |
Website | |
Jamaal Anthony Bowman (born April 1, 1976) is an American politician and former educator serving as the United States representative for New York's 16th congressional district since 2021.
Bowman is the founder and former principal of the Cornerstone Academy for Social Action, a public middle school in Eastchester, Bronx. He defeated 16-term incumbent Eliot Engel in the 2020 Democratic primary and was first elected to Congress in November that year. He is a member of the Squad, an informal group of leftist members of the House Democratic Caucus.
On October 26, 2023, Bowman pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor for willfully setting off a false fire alarm in the Cannon House Office Building. In exchange for his guilty plea, the charge was dropped. On December 7, the House of Representatives voted 214–191 to censure him for the fire alarm incident.[1][2] In 2024, Bowman ran for reelection[3] but lost to Westchester County executive George Latimer in the district's Democratic primary.[4][5][6] Bowman is the first of two Democratic incumbents of the 2024 election cycle to lose his primary along with Cori Bush. He also is the first member of the Squad to lose a primary.[7][8]