George Latimer: Relationships
George Latimer's political relationships span the Democratic Party establishment, pro-Israel advocacy networks, local Westchester politics, and the broader landscape of New York elected officials. His connections have shaped both his rise through state and county politics and his transition to federal office .
AIPAC and Pro-Israel Groups
Latimer's most consequential political relationship in recent years has been with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) and its affiliated organizations. AIPAC was widely reported to have recruited Latimer to challenge Jamaal Bowman in the 2024 Democratic primary . The group's super PAC, United Democracy Project, spent approximately $14.5 million on advertising to support Latimer and oppose Bowman, while AIPAC's PAC provided over $600,000 in direct campaign contributions . In 2025, Latimer traveled to Israel on a trip organized by the AIPAC-affiliated American Israel Education Foundation . AIPAC has featured Latimer prominently in its advertising as evidence of its ability to elect pro-Israel Democrats . Latimer has pushed back against the framing that AIPAC's money alone determined the outcome, pointing to his pre-existing polling lead and decades of local service .
Hillary Clinton
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, a Chappaqua resident within Westchester County, endorsed Latimer in June 2024 7. The endorsement was notable both for Clinton's national profile and because it came after Latimer's controversial Dearborn comment, which some Clinton critics argued she should have disavowed . Clinton's backing added establishment credibility to Latimer's challenge of the incumbent Bowman.
Mondaire Jones
Former U.S. Representative Mondaire Jones, who had previously held the neighboring 17th Congressional District seat, endorsed Latimer over Bowman in June 2024 . Jones, who was seeking his own political comeback, had originally been a progressive ally of Bowman, making the endorsement a noteworthy split within the party's left flank .
Eliot Engel and Nita Lowey
Latimer received endorsements from retired U.S. Representatives Eliot Engel and Nita Lowey, both longtime Westchester-area Congress members 7. Engel had held the 16th District seat before Bowman defeated him in the 2020 primary, making Engel's support of Latimer a natural alignment of moderate Democratic interests in the district.
Hakeem Jeffries and New York Democratic Leadership
Latimer has positioned himself as an ally of House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries and the broader New York Democratic delegation. He has cited his relationship with Jeffries, Ritchie Torres, Grace Meng, Adriano Espaillat, and Greg Meeks as evidence that AIPAC supports a diverse coalition of Democrats, not just his own campaign . His alignment with the party's moderate-to-mainstream wing is reflected in his membership in the New Democrat Coalition 11.
Rob Astorino
Latimer's relationship with Republican Rob Astorino has been defined primarily by their 2017 contest for Westchester County Executive. Latimer defeated Astorino by 16 points after criticizing his predecessor's approach to the federal desegregation consent decree and his alignment with President Trump . During the campaign, Astorino attacked Latimer over unpaid property taxes on a family-owned home and called on him to resign from the State Senate Education Committee after missing budget votes 13.
Jamaal Bowman
Latimer's relationship with Bowman was adversarial throughout the 2024 primary. Latimer centered his campaign on what he characterized as Bowman's disconnect from the district, his inflammatory rhetoric on Israel, and personal controversies including Bowman's fire alarm incident and past blog posts about September 11 conspiracy theories . Bowman, in turn, accused Latimer of being a tool of Republican megadonors and AIPAC and of deploying racially charged rhetoric . The two clashed repeatedly in three televised debates on issues including the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, racial segregation in Westchester, reparations, and campaign finance .
Mike Lawler
Latimer has found occasional bipartisan common ground with Republican Representative Mike Lawler, who represents the adjacent 17th Congressional District. Both sit on the House Foreign Affairs Committee and share a strong pro-Israel orientation . They have appeared together at regional events and share an interest in infrastructure issues affecting the lower Hudson Valley.
Local Westchester Officials
Latimer's long career in Westchester politics has generated extensive relationships with local elected officials. His endorsements in the 2024 race included most area state legislators and Assemblymember Amy Paulin, who served alongside him in the state legislature . He created seven citizen task forces after taking office in Congress, drawing on local residents and leaders with expertise in specific issue areas . His successor as Westchester County Executive, Ken Jenkins, has been a frequent public partner, joining Latimer at press conferences on issues such as Amtrak funding cuts .
The Independent Democratic Conference
Although Latimer never formally joined the Independent Democratic Conference (IDC), his relationship with the group's leader, former Senator Jeff Klein, was a source of criticism. Klein's IDC donated $40,000 to Latimer's 2014 campaign, and critics characterized Latimer as ideologically aligned with the IDC's centrist orientation even as the group's arrangement with Republicans prevented Democrats from controlling the State Senate .