Anti-crypto Rep. Jamaal Bowman lost the NY primary to George Latimer amid rising political tensions over digital assets.
While intensifying political tensions regarding digital assets, Jamaal Bowman, a representative for New York’s 16th congressional district, was defeated in his state’s primary election on Tuesday night by Westchester County executive George Latimer. Bowman was a staunch opponent of cryptography.
Latimer was supported by 58% of electors in the district, according to official results, while Bowman received 41%.
“This race was never about me and me alone. It was never about this district and this district alone,” Bowman reportedly said in a speech shortly following the election results. “It was always about all of us. Now our opponents, not opponent, may have won this round at this time, in this place. But this will be a battle for our humanity and justice for the rest of our lives.”
Bowman, who has garnered endorsements from Senator Bernie Sanders (D-VT), Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), and Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), had previously faced criticism from members of the crypto community regarding his stance on digital assets.
Last month, Bowman voted against the Financial Innovation and Technology for the 21st Century Act (FIT21), a bill that was primarily supported by both Democrats and Republicans.
This legislation would have resulted in the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) being granted a greater degree of regulatory authority over digital assets.
In May, the congressman who was expelled also voted against a resolution that was subsequently vetoed.
The resolution would have effectively disavowed the United States Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) controversial staff accounting bulletin, SAB121.
Nevertheless, Bowman is most notably recognized for his actions during a September 2023 government funding bill vote in the House of Representatives, which resulted in a House ethics panel investigation.
This investigation was prompted by Republican lawmakers’ allegations that Bowman had purposefully obstructed voting proceedings.
The internal investigation was terminated after Bowman entered a guilty plea to a misdemeanor charge in October and was formally censured by his colleagues for the incident in December.
