Black candidates tap protest energy to challenge Democrats

NEW YORK — Amy McGrath and Eliot Engel live hundreds of miles apart in states with dramatically different politics. On the eve of their elections, Engel, a 16-term House incumbent who represents parts of the Bronx and New York City’s wealthy suburbs, and McGrath, a former military officer and fundraising juggernaut running in her first Kentucky Senate campaign, are facing strong challenges from lower-profile Black candidates. Engel’s challenger, 45-year-old former public school principal Jamaal Bowman, and McGrath’s opponent, 35-year-old state Rep. Charles Booker, speak openly about their personal experience with police brutality and racism as they promote progressive plans to transform the nation’s health care system and economy. The Vermont senator failed to win the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination, but he continues to shape congressional primaries — even if it puts him at odds with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who’s backing Engel, and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, who helped recruit McGrath. “All I can do for people is say, ‘Here’s my record.’ I can’t control outside events.” Engel admits regret over an unforced error of sorts earlier in the month when he was caught on a hot microphone telling a New York colleague at a news conference about the civil unrest: “If I didn’t have a primary, I wouldn’t be here.” He says the comments were taken out of context, but he also understands why some people would be upset.