Jamaal Bowman Declines To Appear At Candidates' Forum

SCARSDALE, NY — The League of Women Voters of Scarsdale and New Rochelle canceled the virtual Candidates' Forum for the United States House of Representatives New York Congressional District 16.

The league said in a statement that while the Conservative candidate Patrick McManus accepted their invitation, Jamaal Bowman, the Democratic candidate, declined to attend.

Bowman bested long-time incumbent Rep. Eliot Engel in the Democratic primary to be on the November ballot.

Kathy Meany, president of the League of Women Voters of Westchester, urged residents of Congressional District 16 to communicate with Bowman via social media and email to express their desire for full participation in the the league's forum.

"During these days when the residents of CD 16 have so few options to hear directly from candidates and to address their own questions to them, we find this development disappointing," she said.

"We view the forum as if it were a job interview, so it is troubling that any candidate would not want to take this opportunity to communicate with the people they are seeking to represent," Meany said.

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