Jamaal Bowman, a former middle school principal, has ousted longtime Rep. Eliot L. Engel in a closely watched Democratic congressional primary in New York that shaped up as a generational and ideological challenge.

Bowman’s projected win came more than three weeks after Election Day following the tabulation of an unusually high number of absentee ballots. It was a victory for the left-wing of the party over a powerful 16-term Democrat who chairs the House Foreign Affairs Committee and had the endorsement of Hillary Clinton, the party’s 2016 presidential nominee, and Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo (D).

Bowman seized on the momentum of the movement for racial justice after incidents of police brutality and picked up endorsements from several leading liberal luminaries on the national stage, including Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.).

Bowman issued a statement the morning after the primary declaring victory in the 16th congressional district, as same-day voting showed him with a sizable lead.

“Many doubted that we could overcome the power and money of a 31-year incumbent,”he said. “But the results show that the people of NY-16 aren’t just ready for change — they’re demanding it. … I’m a Black man who was raised by a single mother in a housing project. That story doesn’t usually end in Congress. But today, that 11-year old boy who was beaten by police is about to be your next Representative. I cannot wait to get to Washington and cause problems for the people maintaining the status quo.”

During the race, Engel faced criticism that he had not spent enough time in the district, which includes the northern Bronx and the southern half of Westchester County.

Last month, Engel generated headlines after he repeatedly asked to speak at a Bronx news conference on protests over the killing by Minneapolis police of George Floyd, then said near a live microphone, “If I didn’t have a primary, I wouldn’t care.”

Bowman, cited the statement as a sign that it’s time for Engel to leave Congress.

Engel sought to clarify his remarks later in the day, saying in a statement that he had wanted to convey that he cares “deeply about what’s happening in this country” while he seeks reelection.