With Jamaal Bowman’s Loss, the Left Is on the Defensive

Mr. Bowman’s win in 2020 seemed to herald an ascendant progressive movement. In 2024, the center is regaining power.

Representative Jamaal Bowman’s upset win in a 2020 Democratic primary in the New York suburbs was heralded by the left as proof of its electoral ascent in American politics.

Four years later, Mr. Bowman’s decisive loss on Tuesday will soon brand him with a more ignominious distinction: the first member of the House’s left-leaning “Squad” to be ousted from office.

The congressman was weighed down by a unique collection of baggage, including a guilty plea to a misdemeanor for pulling a House fire alarm last year. And he faced record-shattering spending by political groups furious over his criticism of Israel.

But his defeat in one of the nation’s most closely watched primaries drove home an unmistakable reality: Even at a moment when the war in Gaza has re-energized progressive activism, many of the left’s candidates are no longer gaining ground in major races, and in some cases they have started losing it.

In party primaries and special elections from New Jersey to Oregon and New York, moderates seemed to be regaining their footing, often by explicitly positioning themselves to the right of their Democratic opponents on immigration, foreign policy and public safety. President Biden has also tacked rightward on key issues like immigration.

And in Missouri, another member of the “Squad,” Representative Cori Bush, is in danger of losing an August primary, where many of the same outside forces that helped defeat Mr. Bowman are already at play.