One of the nation’s most bitter House primaries took an even uglier turn this week, as an embattled Black Democrat repeatedly accused his white challenger of race-baiting in the New York City suburbs.
The charges by Representative Jamaal Bowman infused an element of unpredictability into the final days of a contest that has largely been defined by stark differences over the war in Gaza.
The latest episode started during a debate on Monday night, when the challenger, George Latimer, suggested that Mr. Bowman was more interested in representing San Francisco or Dearborn, Mich., a predominantly Arab American city, than white communities in his district, which includes parts of Westchester County and the Bronx.
“When you get as much money as you get from outside the district, your constituency is Dearborn, Michigan. Your constituency is San Francisco, California,” said Mr. Latimer, who serves as the executive of Westchester County. “It’s not Harrison, it’s not Tuckahoe, it’s not Scarsdale.”
Mr. Bowman, one of Congress’s sharpest critics of Israel’s war in Gaza, called the remark an “Islamophobic dog whistle,” and his campaign pointed out that he had raised only small sums from donors in Dearborn.
In another debate on Wednesday, Mr. Latimer, 70, again accused Mr. Bowman, 48, of ignoring white and Asian voters in the diverse district, which is nearly 50 percent Black and Latino.
“You talk about the needs of part of the district, and you completely ignore them,” Mr. Latimer said. “You don’t mention Asians. You don’t mention people who are not Black or brown.”
Mr. Bowman has stated that he had prioritized helping predominantly African American and Latino areas in Westchester and the Bronx that he says are often overlooked. Still, he rejected the assertion that he ignored others, and on Friday, a half-dozen Black, Muslim and Jewish leaders held a news conference amplifying his accusations.
Mr. Latimer and his allies have cast the attacks as desperate lies by a candidate trailing him in the polls ahead of the June 25 contest. He frequently mentions that he has a Black deputy as county executive, and a diverse array of endorsers.
In a statement, his campaign called the charges “divisive and dishonest.”
“George Latimer has an unmatched track record of standing up and delivering for communities of color and for all of the residents he represents,” the statement said. “Every community, every person, every day.”
The race has been personal for months. Mr. Latimer has called Mr. Bowman, the first Black man to represent his district and a member of the House’s left-wing “squad,” an unserious, attention-seeking sideshow. Mr. Bowman has portrayed Mr. Latimer as a puppet of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, the pro-Israel lobby that has spent more than $11 million trying to defeat him.
Those remarks and other comments that seemed to cast doubt on the violence of Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack have, in turn, fueled charges of anti-Jewish and anti-Israel hate against Mr. Bowman. He has strenuously denied any prejudice, saying that he is trying to secure peace and security for Israelis and Palestinians alike.
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