Rep. Katie Porter (D-Calif.) on Monday endorsed Jamaal Bowman, who is challenging House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Eliot Engel (D-N.Y.), who is in his 16th term in the House, in a June 23 Democratic primary.
“Jamaal Bowman is running for Congress for the same reasons I did — to stand up to special interests and fight for working families. He’ll come to Congress ready to take on corporate executives, not hit them up for donations,” Porter said in a statement Monday. “Our Congress needs new voices like Jamaal’s to push our country forward. As a fellow parent and educator, I am proud to endorse Jamaal. I hope you’ll join me in supporting him in the June 23rd Primary.”
“I am honored to have earned Congresswoman Porter’s support and endorsement,” Bowman said in tweeting out the endorsement.
Bowman has seen several high-profile endorsements from the progressive wing of the party in recent weeks, including Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), as well as from the editorial board of The New York Times. The Times specifically cited a recent incident in which Engel, attending an event in his district, was captured on a hot mic insisting he be allowed to speak at a particular time, saying, “if I didn’t have a primary I wouldn’t care.”
Several members of House Democratic leadership, however, have rallied around Engel in his tough primary challenge.
House Majority Whip James Clyburn (D-S.C.) and Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) both endorsed Engel for reelection in statements to Politico on Sunday, while Democratic Caucus Chairman Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) endorsed him on Saturday.