Rep. Jamaal Bowman, who represents parts of Westchester and the Bronx, kicked off his campaign Wednesday night, alongside close ally and fellow member Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez as he seeks to fend off a Democratic primary challenge from Westchester County executive George Latimer.

The campaign event focused heavily on calls from Bowman and his fellow progressives for a ceasefire in Gaza as more than 25,000 Palestinians have been killed amid Israel’s war on Hamas, according to the Hamas-run health ministry in the territory.

Those calls have drawn animosity from within Bowman’s own party and informed Latimer’s decision to challenge him in New York’s 16th Congressional District.

“We're constantly being attacked,” Bowman said at a Yonkers restaurant. “Someone asked me how am I doing. I said, ‘how do I look?’ He said ‘you look good.’ I said that's how I feel because if we weren't doing the right thing, if we weren't fighting for justice… they would not be coming after us.”

Introducing the Bronx middle school founder and former principal, Ocasio-Cortez dubbed the race “a critical inflection point for our country.”

“It's not just about Yonkers or White Plains. It's not just about the Bronx or Westchester or New York, it's about the country, the country. We all feel it in our bones,” the Bronx and Queens congresswoman said. “When you stand up to power, power fights back. Power fights back. That is what this race is all about. They're trying to make an example of Jamaal Bowman.”

Latimer jumped into the race last month after much speculation, reportedly in part due to the urging of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee’s political arm. The pro-Israel lobbying group has raised and spent millions in recent years to back candidates from both parties. In the 2024 cycle, they have targeted progressives like Bowman and Pennsylvania Rep. Summer Lee over their Israel-Palestine stances.

“We are proud to endorse George Latimer who — in clear contrast to his opponent — is strongly committed to strengthening the U.S.-Israel relationship and standing by our ally as it fights Hamas terrorism,” AIPAC spokesperson Marshall Wittmann said in a statement to Jewish Insider on Thursday. Latimer is the first non-incumbent to land an endorsement from AIPAC this cycle, and the group is now soliciting donations for him on their website.

“What’s important to understand is that Westchester County has the second largest concentration of Jewish residents, and thereby voters, in New York State, after New York City,” Latimer told PIX11 last week. “Any large ethnic group… have certain needs and certain concerns and any elected official has to be attentive to it.”

Bowman responded to the expected AIPAC opposition on Wednesday night.

“AIPAC is one of the most powerful lobbies in America,” Bowman said. “But you know what we got to say to AIPAC? Bring it on y’all.”

In a piece of good news for Bowman, the bipartisan House Ethics Committee ended their probe on Thursday into an incident last year where Bowman pulled a fire alarm en route to a vote. The committee decided his guilty plea in D.C. court and a censure from the House were sufficient enough punishment and additional action “would be moot.”

New York’s party primaries are on June 25.