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>>> MY WIFE TEACHES ELEMENTARY
SCHOOL AND I’M THE FOUNDING
PRINCIPAL OF A COMMUNITY SCHOOL
IN THE NORTHEAST BRONX.
LIKE ALL EDUCATORS WE FACED THE
MOST DAMNING CHALLENGES EVERY
DAY.
WE WORK WITH CHILDREN AND
FAMILIES WHO SUFFER FROM
POVERTY, ASTHMA FROM POLLUTION,
HOMELESSNESS, LACK OF HEALTH
CARE.
MY NAME IS JAMAAL BOWMAN, I’M A
DEMOCRAT AND I’M RUNNING TO BE
YOUR CONGRESS IN NEW YORK’S 16th
CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT.
>> LAST SUMMER WHEN JAMAAL
BOWMAN RELEASED THAT VIDEO HE
LOOKED LIKE A LONG SHOT TO WIN
THAT SEAT, A REAL LONG SHOT.
THE INCUMBENT, THE GUY HE WAS
RUNNING AGAINST WAS ELIOT ENGEL,
A 16-TERM INCUMBENT IN CONGRESS
SINCE 1989, A MEMBER OF HOUSE
LEADERSHIP, CHAIR OF THE FOREIGN
RELATIONS COMMITTEE.
JAMAAL BOWMAN DID NOT HAVE ANY
MONEY.
HE DID NOT HAVE ANY
INSTITUTIONAL BACKING.
HE WAS AN EDUCATOR, A MIDDLE
SCHOOL PRINCIPAL.
CONGRESSMAN ENGEL WAS ENDORSED
BY McAND SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE
NANCY PELOSI.
THEN IN THE MIDDLE OF THE
CAMPAIGN THERE WAS A PANDEMIC
WHERE NOBODY COULD REALLY
CAMPAIGN.
THEN JAMAAL BOWMAN BEGAN TO
CATCH FIRE THROUGH GRASSROOTS
FUNDRAISING AND ELIOT ENGEL
MAKING MISSTEPS LIKE CAUGHT ON A
HOT MIKE RESPONDING, IF I DIDN’T
HAVE A PRIMARY I WOULDN’T CARE."
IN THE END JAMAAL BOWMAN DID NOT
JUST EKE OUT A VICTORY.
TODAY "THE ASSOCIATED PRESS"
DECLARED IT FOR HIM BY A DOUBLE
DIGIT MARGIN.
FULL DISCLOSURE.
WE HAVE NOT COVERED THIS RACE AT
ALL WHILE HE WAS HAPPENING, NOT
ONCE, BECAUSE I HAVE A CLEAR
CONFLICT WHICH IS THAT MY
BROTHER MANAGED JAMAAL BOWMAN’S
CAMPAIGN.
NOW THE RACE IS OVER, IT IS MY
PLEASURE TO WELCOME JAMAAL
BOWMAN, DEMOCRATIC NOMINEE FOR
NEW YORK’S 16th CONGRESSIONAL
DISTRICT.
CONGRATULATIONS, MR. BOWMAN.
HOW ARE YOU FEELING AFTER THIS
FINALLY GOT CALLED ABOUT THREE
OR FOUR WEEKS LATER?
>> FEELING PRETTY AWESOME.
FEELING GOOD.
FEELING RELIEVED.
FEELING EXCITED.
FEELING LIKE I CAN FINALLY
CELEBRATE A BIT FOR A FEW DAYS
BEFORE GETTING TO WORK.
>> YOU KNOW, IT STRUCK ME WHEN I
SAW YOUR VIDEO.
I THOUGHT TO MYSELF, YOU DON’T
SEE A LOT -- LIKE MIDDLE SCHOOL
PRINCIPAL, THAT’S ACTUALLY
PRETTY GOOD TRAINING TO BE A
POLITICIAN OR RUN FOR OFFICE.
YOU HAVE TO BE DEEPLY CONNECTED
TO THE COMMUNITY.
YOU KNOW WHAT IS GOING ON.
YOU GOT TO BE KIND OF A PUBLIC
FIGURE, A BIT OF AN AUTHORITY
FIGURE.
YOU HAVE TO GET PEOPLE TO LISTEN
TO YOU, TAKE YOU SERIOUSLY.
I’M CURIOUS, WHAT MADE YOU WANT
TO RUN FOR OFFICE AND HOW DO YOU
THINK THAT BACKGROUND DOES OR
DOESN’T PREPARE YOU FOR WHAT
LOOKS LIKE YOUR CONGRESSIONAL
CAREER GOING FORWARD?
>> I WAS TIRED OF CHILDREN DYING
IN THE BRONX, LITERALLY.
DURING THE 2017-2018 SCHOOL
YEAR, 34 CHILDREN DIED WITHIN
THE K-12 SCHOOL SYSTEM IN THE
BRONX AND 17 DIED VIA SUICIDE.
RIGHT HERE ACROSS THE STREET IN
CO-OP CITY, ACROSS THE STREET
FROM MY SCHOOL A YOUNG GIRL, 9th
GRADER, JUMPED OFF THE BUILDING
AFTER BEING BULLIED IN SCHOOL.
IN NEW ROCHELLE, WHICH IS ALSO
IN THE DISTRICT, ONE YOUNG GIRL
STABBED ANOTHER DURING A
CONFLICT, DURING A LUNCH BREAK
AT NEW ROCHELLE HIGH SCHOOL.
KIDS WERE LITERALLY DYING IN THE
STREETS AND THEY’RE STILL DYING
IN THE STREETS, NOT JUST FROM
POLICE BRUTALITY BUT BECAUSE
THEY LIVE IN COMMUNITIES
HISTORICALLY NEGLECTED,
DISENFRANCE CHASED AND SUFFERING
THROUGH POVERTY, TOXIC STRESS
AND CHRONIC TRAUMA.
AFTER BEING A PRINCIPAL FOR TEN
YEARS I GOT TIRED OF IT.
WHEN I SPOKE TO PEOPLE
THROUGHOUT THE DISTRICT ABOUT
CONGRESSMAN ENGEL’S LEADERSHIP
WE CONTINUED TO HEAR HE WAS
ABSENT, DISENGAGED AND THEY FELT
IT WAS TIME FOR A CHANGE.
AFTER THE WORK IN EDUCATION I
HAVE DONE, ORGANIZING BEYOND THE
WALLS OF THE SCHOOL, I DECIDED
TO JUMP IN THE RACE AND
THANKFULLY WE WERE ABLE TO PULL
OUT A VICTORY.
>> I TOOK A LOT OF INTEREST IN
YOUR RACE BECAUSE OBVIOUSLY I
HAD A FAMILIAL CONNECTION TO IT
BUT IT BECAME A NATIONAL STORY
AS WELL.
ONE THING I NOTED IS, YOU KNOW,
MOST PEOPLE THAT RUN FOR OFFICE
ARE COMING FROM MORE OF A
BACKGROUND WHERE, YOU KNOW,
THEY’RE LAWYERS AND SORT OF
POLITICALLY CONNECTED.
YOU HAD KIND OF A LEARNING
CURVE.
I’M CURIOUS AS A PERSON THAT
WENT FROM BEING A NORMAL PERSON
TO NOW PROBABLY A MEMBER OF
CONGRESS AND A CANDIDATE, WHAT
WAS THAT EXPERIENCE LIKE?
WHAT DID YOU LEARN IN DOING THE
REPS DAY IN AND DAY OUT OF
LEARNING HOW TO BE A CANDIDATE?
>> WELL, ONCE WE HIRED LUKE
HAYES, THAT TRANSFORMED THE
ENTIRE CAMPAIGN.
I MEAN HE COACHED ME AND TRAINED
ME UP TO MAKE ME THE BEST CANDY
CANDIDATE I CAN BE.
NO, IN ALL SERIOUSNESS HE WAS A
TREMENDOUS HELP.
THE DEMOCRATS WERE A TREMENDOUS
HELP.
YOU’RE RIGHT ABOUT THE LEARNING
CURVE.
I KIND OF HAD TO GO BACK TO
SCHOOL JUST TO DOWNLOAD ALL OF
THE POLICIES BEING PUSHED IN
WASHINGTON, THINGS HAPPENING AT
THE LOCAL LEVEL, BOTH AT THE
STATE LEVEL AND CITY LEVEL, AND
JUST CONNECTING WITH GRASSROOTS
ORGANIZATIONS THAT HAVE BEEN
DOING THE WORK RIGHT HERE ON THE
FRONT LINES WITH REGARD TO
IMMIGRATION REFORM, HOUSING
REFORM, ECONOMIC AND
ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE.
I JUST PLUGGED INTO ALL OF THE
GROUPS DOING THE WORK, DID AS
MUCH AS I COULD TO LEARN ALL I
COULD ABOUT THE ISSUES.
THEN JUST USED THE SKILLS I
LEARNED IN EDUCATION, JUST
CONNECTING WITH PEOPLE, MEETING
WITH PEOPLE, LISTENING
CAREFULLY, BEING A LEARNER
THROUGHOUT THE PROCESS, AND JUST
ROOTING EVERYTHING WE TALKED
ABOUT AND EVERYTHING WE DID IN
OUR COMMON HUMANITY, WHETHER WE
ARE TALKING ABOUT FOREIGN
POLICY, DOMESTIC POLICY, WHAT IS
HAPPENING IN RAI, NEW YORK, WHAT
IS HAPPENING IN RIVERDALE, WHAT
IS HAPPENING IN THE BRONX.
IT IS ALL ABOUT OUR COMMON
HUMANITY AND THAT’S WHAT OUR
CAMPAIGN WAS ROOTED IN FROM THE
BEGINNING.
>> SORT OF COMING FROM THE
PROGRESSIVE WING OF THE PARTY,
YOU SUPPORTED MEDICARE FOR ALL
AND A GREEN NEW DEAL.
I THINK YOUR FOREIGN POLICY
VIEWS, YOU WERE AT ODDS WITH
SOME OF ELIOT ENGEL’S WHO, FOR
INSTANCE, OPPOSED THE IRAN DEAL,
VOTED FOR THE IRAQ WAR.
WHAT DO YOU SEE AS THE FUTURE OF
THE DEMOCRATIC CAUCUS RIGHT NOW
IN TERMS OF THERE’S AN
ENLARGENING GROUP, EVEN JUST IN
THE NEW YORK DELEGATION OF FOLKS
THAT HAVE POLITICS CLOSE TO YOUR
OWN, A LOT OF FRESH, NEW BLOOD
WILL BE IN THERE.
WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?
>> THE PROGRESSIVE MOVEMENT IS
GROWING, NOT JUST IN THIS
DISTRICT BUT ACROSS THE COUNTRY.
I MEAN WE WERE ABLE TO SECURE
56% OF THE VOTE IN A DISTRICT
THAT MANY PEOPLE WOULD HAVE
CALLED MODERATE BEFORE OUR RACE.
SO THE PROGRESSIVE MOVEMENT IS
GROWING BECAUSE OF THIS PANDEMIC
AND BECAUSE OF THE GEORGE FLOYD
LYNCHING, PEOPLE ARE REALLY
READY TO FIGHT FOR RACIAL AND
ECONOMIC JUSTICE IN A VERY REAL
WAY AND DEAL WITH INSTITUTIONAL
RACISM IN A REAL WAY AS WELL.
SO NOT JUST FOCUS ON POLICE
BRUTALITY AND MASS
INCARCERATION, BUT ALSO
UNIVERSAL HEALTH CARE, A GREEN
NEW DEAL, FULLY INVESTING IN OUR
PUBLIC SCHOOLS, AND JUST
CENTERING THE NEEDS OF THOSE
MOST MARGINALIZED AND
DISENFRANCHISED.
CENTERING THE WORKING CLASS, THE
WORKING POOR, HOLDING WALL
STREET, THE WEALTHY AND LARGE
CORPORATIONS ACCOUNTABLE.
THE AMERICAN PEOPLE ARE
DEMANDING THIS LEVEL OF CHANGE
AND THAT’S WHY WE’RE ABLE TO
PULL OUT THIS VICTORY.
THAT’S WHAT THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY
NEEDS TO BE ABOUT IN THIS
MOMENT.
IT IS A UNIQUE MOMENT IN
AMERICAN HISTORY, AND WE HAVE TO
TAKE CHARGE AND RESPOND URGENTLY
TO THIS MOMENT.
>> IT IS A UNIQUE MOMENT AND THE
DISTRICT YOU ARE GOING TO
REPRESENT MOST LIKELY HAS BEEN
HIT HARD BY ALL OF THOSE FORCES.