The progressive left digs in for besieged New York Rep. Jamaal Bowman in Democratic primary clash

(CNN) – The historically expensive bid to unseat Rep. Jamaal Bowman is entering its final frantic hours as a moderate, White county executive from north of New York City – propelled by pro-Israel groups’ record advertising outlay – appears poised to deny the progressive, Black former middle school principal a third term in Congress. New York Democrats are no strangers to hard-nosed, high-priced primary campaigns. But the fury that has captured the 16th Congressional District, which covers parts of the Bronx and suburban Westchester, now threatens to open a wider rift in liberal politics, both here and across the country, where other progressive champions face primary challenges. The showdown between Bowman against George Latimer, the Westchester County leader who entered the race in December at the urging of pro-Israel leaders, was always destined to spotlight the divisions within the Democratic Party over the Israel’s war in Gaza. What has followed, though, has been something much nastier. Fraught debates over race and class, papered over for years in this diverse but largely segregated district, have exploded into a referendum on the nature – and future – of the party. Related Stories Defending Bowman, now considered the most endangered Democrat of this...