Democratic Caucus Chairman Hakeem Jeffries acknowledged Monday that House Foreign Affairs Chairman Eliot Engel is facing tough odds in his reelection race against far-left challenger Jamaal Bowman in New York.
Mr. Jeffries, a fellow New York Democrat, is holding out for the official tally, but acknowledged Mr. Bowman ran an impressive race.
“Certainly appears as though it’ll be a difficult margin for Chairman Engel to make up,” Mr. Jeffries said. “But until he concedes and until the board of elections formally declares Jamaal Bowman the victor I’m going to refrain from making any observations about the campaign other than to say that Jamaal ran a great campaign from beginning to end.”
Absentee ballots are still being counted in the race, but Mr. Bowman declared himself the victor last week over the 30-year incumbent with a 62%-35% lead in the early results.
If Mr. Bowman is declared the victor, it would be a boon for the more liberal end of the Democratic Party over what they call the “old guard.”
Mr. Engel would be the second senior Democratic incumbent to be toppled in New York by the younger vanguard after Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez beat out Joseph Crowley, the former Democratic Caucus chairman, in 2018.
• Gabriella Muñoz can be reached at gmunoz@washingtontimes.com.
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