New York will be home to several competitive races in 2024, especially as current House lines get redrawn.
Rep. Jamaal Bowman is fending off a primary challenge from Westchester County Executive George Latimer for the 16th Congressional District.
The district currently includes the Bronx and the southern half of Westchester County, including Yonkers, White Plains and New Rochelle. But it could look a little different after it goes through the redistricting process, and the new boundaries could either help or hurt the two-term lawmaker.
Bowman joined “Inside City Hall” Friday to discuss his bid for reelection, what he expects from redistricting and the historically low amount of bills enacted by Congress this session.
Bowman said his reelection campaign is about what the people in his district feel are the most important issues.
“We’re gonna continue to focus on the issues that the people care about, issues like affordability, public safety and health and child care,” Bowman said.
Bowman said while he is no stranger to redrawn House lines, even with new boundaries, his focus remains on bringing resources into his district.
“The most important thing for me is to make sure I’m doing everything I can to serve everyone in my district,” he said.
Bowman also touched on how only 27 pieces of legislation have been enacted this congressional session, the second-lowest total in U.S. history. For comparison, the last past three congressional sessions saw 365, 344 and 443 pieces of legislation enacted, respectively.
Bowman blamed the low number on Republicans holding a majority in the House.
“Republicans have not been serious about governing from the very beginning. It took us 14 votes to elect a House speaker, and it took multiple rounds of candidates to pick a new speaker once the position was vacated,” he said. “They are all about virtue signaling. They have no policies and no ideas, and they do not inspire anyone.”
