New York, New York - Backed by ex-presidential candidate Hillary Clinton and millions of dollars from the pro-Israel lobby, George Latimer ousted incumbent Jamaal Bowman in the Democratic primary for New York's 16th congressional district on Wednesday.

With almost 90% of ballots counted, Latimer had 58.4% of the vote sown up, in an election dominated by Israel's war on Gaza.

Squad member Bowman has accused Israel of committing genocide against Palestinians and advocated for an immediate ceasefire, as well as cutting off all US funding as long as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu remains in power.

Latimer, meanwhile, is an unconditional supporter of Israel and has been backed to the hilt by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), which played a big part in making this the most expensive House primary in history, with an estimated $23 million spent on campaigning.

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Some $16 million of that was poured into attacks against Bowman, which led to Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders saying that "never before in history (has) powerful special interest spent so much money trying to defeat a candidate".

"This election is not about Jamal versus Mr Latimer. This election is about whether or not the billionaire class and the oligarchy will control the United States government," Sanders said at a rally in the Bronx on Saturday.

In his victory speech, Latimer called for more civility and fighting "to make sure we don't vilify each other." His campaign drew accusations of racism and bigotry, in particular after the 70-year-old said Bowman's constituency was the heavily Arab-American Dearborn, Michigan, not New York.

The 16th congressional district in upstate New York encompasses both affluent suburbs of large Jewish communities and poorer neighborhoods, including the Bronx.

Bowman (48) was the district's first Black congressman and is the first member of the Squad to lose an election since the progressive group formed in 2018.

AIPAC and its affiliated groups have vowed to spend as much as $100 million to unseat lawmakers critical of Israel's human rights abuses against Palestinians.