Four years after he ousted a longtime congressman, Democratic incumbent Jamaal Bowman conceded his own primary defeat Tuesday.

The loss to Westchester County Executive George Latimer by well north of 10,000 votes amounts to a high-profile speedbump for the progressive movement. Bowman is the first member of the so-called “Squad” of progressive lawmakers to face an electoral loss.

“This movement was never just about me. It was never just about [New York’s 16th District],” Bowman said during his concession speech Tuesday evening. 

Fellow Squad member Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez blamed the record-breaking $25 million in ad spending in the race. 

More than half of that spending came from a pro-Israel superPAC affiliated with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC). Many of their ads cast Bowman, who is highly critical of the Israeli government’s handling of the war against Hamas, in a critical light.

“The amount of money that we saw pour into that race is everything that’s wrong with American politics, whether you’re a Republican or a Democrat,” Ocasio-Cortez said Wednesday. 

But Bowman was also on the defensive for his controversial statements over the years and one criminal act: pulling a fire alarm on Capitol Hill last year. 

“I know Jamaal. I just don’t think his behavior reflects the people of that district well, and I don’t think it reflects well here in the House, either,” Republican Rep. Marc Molinaro said.

Democratic Rep. Tom Suozzi, who won a special election earlier this year on Long Island in part by touting his moderate credentials, argued Latimer’s win is another sign of more moderate Democrats in New York making themselves heard. 

“It wasn’t just Bowman’s race, but John Avlon’s race and [John] Mannion’s race upstate,” Suozzi said, referencing the winning Democratic candidates in congressional primaries in Suffolk County and the Syracuse-region. 

“In New York, moderates are showing up a little bit more than they used to,” he continued. 

Asked about the primary results, Rep. Gregory Meeks invoked Bowman’s defeat of longtime incumbent Eliot Engel just four years ago.

“What you saw was - in a huge and overwhelming matter - that the people of the district decided they wanted a change, just like they did in 2020,” he said. 

Meeks also sought to look forward to November and the fight for control of the U.S. House.

“Whoever gets elected in a district, they will be welcomed here. And we will work collectively to win the House back, because that is what is important for this nation: a Hakeem Jeffries speakership.”

While Latimer swept up many local endorsements in the contest, Bowman notably had the backing of House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries. 

Jeffries recorded a robocall for Bowman, but did not stump for him in the district. Asked Wednesday about primaries in New York, Jeffries told reporters that the results “speak for themselves.”