“I wish I didn't pull that damn fire alarm, you know what I’m saying?”

A candid admission by New York Rep. Jamaal Bowman about a moment that made him the butt of jokes and landed him in court: pulling an alarm in a House office building despite there not being an emergency. 

In just a few weeks, Bowman will say goodbye to Capitol Hill after completing four years in Congress.

The progressive "Squad" member, who grabbed headlines throughout his four years in Washington, lost a bruising primary earlier this year to moderate Democrat George Latimer.

Asked if he believes he would be preparing for another term right now rather than packing his bags if it were not for that fire alarm, Bowman said, “Hell no.”

“My district is a super pro-Israel district. The minute I called for a ceasefire, that was the last straw with many in the district,” he said. “Because I beat [former Congressman] Elliot Engel, it was a target on my back from that community since then.”

Bowman does not deny he is frustrated by the June primary results, and did not shy away from criticizing his fellow Democrats. 

“As a party, you should have never let a right-wing Democrat who's a bit older challenge Jamaal Bowman in his primary, because that became a public execution for the country to see,” Bowman said. “Democrats, you're going to allow this Black man to be attacked in this way, without any pushback, without any recourse?”

Bowman said he and Latimer have not spoken personally since he lost the race.

“He said some things I don't think he could take back, and I don't think he wants to take back,” he said. “He probably feels the same about me.”

House Democratic Leadership, including Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries of Brooklyn, publicly endorsed Bowman during his primary. Asked if Jeffries could have done more, Bowman said, “Could he have come to the district and campaigned with me? Sure. Would that have made a difference? I don't know.”

Bowman did suggest that Democratic leadership could have, prior to the primary, urged the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) to “stand down” in his race. An AIPAC-affiliated superPAC poured more than $14 million into the contest to both boost Latimer and attack Bowman, according to the group AdImpact.

“Would AIPAC have listened? I don't know. My history with them tells me they would not have listened,” he said.

Reflections on his time in Congress

Bowman said he is proud of his party’s legislative accomplishments during his time in Congress - particularly during the first two years of the Biden administration. He cited, for instance, the approval of massive spending to fight climate change and boost the domestic production of semiconductors. 

But, he said, he also wishes they could have done more, pointing to things like universal pre-K and investments in affordable housing. 

Congress, he said, can be an “intransigent” place. 

“I already knew I was impatient, so I didn't learn that. I knew I was passionate, so I didn’t really learn that. I guess I learned I'm probably more built for an executive role than a legislative role,” he said, invoking his time as a school principal before he entered the political arena. 

That passion of his has, at times, come out in bursts, including in confrontations with fellow lawmakers. 

For instance, last year, in the aftermath of another mass shooting at a school, Bowman and Kentucky Republican Congressman Thomas Massie got into a heated exchange over gun restrictions in a hallway just steps from the House floor.

Bowman said that if he is remembered for his passion, that is great. 

“Many people spoke to me about lack of decorum and keeping things buttoned up and all of that,” he said. “But at that time, that wasn't just how I felt. That's how my constituents felt, that's how Americans felt.” 

Reflecting on the November elections, Bowman said Democrats did not do enough to engage with working class people, and argued it was not smart for Democratic nominee Kamala Harris to focus so much energy courting Republicans and campaigning with former Republican Congresswoman Liz Cheney. 

He said his party stumbled over the question of whether Joe Biden would seek re-election. “I think in 2022 we should have made that decision,” he said.

“A lot of mistakes along the way, but the biggest one for me is connecting with the real American people - not your biggest donors, not your Ivory Tower college educated consultants who don’t know anything or very little about working class people, especially Black or brown,” he continued. 

As for what is next for him, Bowman said he plans to remain engaged in electoral politics, fundraising, and education. 

Is there a chance Bowman may run for Congress again, such as in two years? “Possibly, very slim,” he said. “U.S. Senate? Maybe. Governor? Maybe.”

Asked if he is at all eying the nearby U.S. House district currently held by Bronx Congressman Ritchie Torres, who is not ruling out a bid for governor in 2026, Bowman said, “No, not at all.”

At the very least, Bowman said, he wants to keep fighting to make sure what he dubs the “right people” get elected nationally.