Jamaal Bowman’s defeat wasn’t due to the Jewish vote but to voters’ desire for more moderate leaders.

In one of the most expensive congressional primaries ever, George Latimer beat Rep. Jamaal Bowman in New York’s 16th Congressional District.

In the end, the race wasn’t even close. Latimer received 59.3% of the vote against radical progressive leftist “Squad” member Bowman’s 40.1%. By most standards, that is a landslide.

It’s also excellent news for supporters of Israel. Bowman is an avowed Israel-hater who had replaced one of Israel’s greatest advocates, Elliot Engel.

But Israel was not the deciding issue in the race. The 16th district has an average age of 41.2 and is 40% white, 19% black, 29% Hispanic and 6% Asian. Only 9-12% of the population is Jewish. Clearly, Latimer did not win because of the Jewish vote.

Although most of the leftist media sought to frame the race as a referendum on Israel’s war against Hamas, there were many factors at work.

Latimer won because of a broad consensus among voters. Those voters were tired of Bowman’s radicalism and socialism. They were sick of Bowman’s antics, which included pulling a fire alarm in the Cannon House Office Building to stall a Republican bill.

Yes, at the outset of the war in Gaza, Bowman horrifically denied that Israeli women were raped or babies beheaded by Hamas on Oct. 7. His vicious anti-Israel positions were disgraceful. But, in the end, he lost because a significant portion of his Black constituency rejected his socialism bordering on communism, which cost his district jobs.

Bowman’s fellow “Squad” members will have the same problem. Socialism and communism have no place in America. They are antithetical to the American way. The economy is still the most important driving force in American elections. Socialism is a job killer and hurts the economy. Increasing the national debt, which the socialists encourage, will come back to haunt us.

America is in dire need of a reset. Bowman’s defeat is the first step in achieving it. The next step will be the defeat of Rep. Cori Bush (D-Mo.), another member of the socialist “Squad,” on Aug. 6.

When all is said and done, America will do better when Bowman and Bush are shown the door. Bowman’s loss indicates that America is coming to its senses.

Oct. 7 has indeed had an impact on American politics: It exposed the radicalism and extremism of the haters of Israel and the Jewish people. Bowman is an excellent example. However, Americans are looking for more moderate and sensible politicians.

Dr. Joseph Frager is a lifelong activist and physician. He is chairman of Israel advocacy for the Rabbinical Alliance of America, chairman of the executive committee of American Friends of Ateret Cohanim and executive vice president of the Israel Heritage Foundation.