Summer Lee, ‘Squad’ Member, Wins Democratic House Primary in Pennsylvania

Rep. Summer Lee, a progressive Democrat in her first term, won her primary in western Pennsylvania on Tuesday, according to the Associated Press, fending off a moderate challenger in a race centered on her stance on the war in Gaza.

The primary, held in Pennsylvania’s 12th District, presented one of this year’s first tests of whether left-wing candidates would be hurt by their opposition to the Israeli military campaign. After Ms. Lee faced months of scrutiny for voting against supporting Israel, her victory was seen in part as a reflection of how public and party sentiment on the issue appeared to evolve in his favour.

The congresswoman won by a landslide, with counting nearly complete Tuesday night, underscoring the strength of her position as an incumbent this year after outscoring her opponent with broad support from Democratic officials.

Ms. Lee, who in 2022 was elected the first Black woman to represent Pennsylvania in Congress and later joined the group of left-wing lawmakers known as the Squad, defeated Edgewood, Pennsylvania, city councilor Bhavini Patel. a more moderate Democrat and attempted to portray Ms. Lee as dismissive of voters who oppose her approach to the Gaza conflict. The seat is considered safely Democratic in the general election.

A former state representative, Ms. Lee, 36, narrowly won a primary in the district two years ago against a centrist opponent favored by the party establishment. His victory was hailed by left-wing organizations and leaders as a victory for the progressive movement.

This year, Ms. Lee, now an incumbent, has garnered support across the Democratic spectrum. His supporters included Pennsylvania senators, House Democratic leaders, labor unions, and the Allegheny County Democratic Committee, which opposed his candidacy in 2022. Progressive groups have spent significant sums on his behalf, and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Democrat of New York, was perplexed. in Pittsburgh on Sunday.

With more than 95 percent of the votes counted, she leads Ms. Patel by more than 20 points. Ms. Lee presented the success as a testament to the fact that “our movement is growing” and denounced those who, she said, “wanted to make this a referendum on a single issue.”

“Our movement is broad enough and big enough for each of us, that each of us can lay down our arms and stop the fire so that we can have peace from Pittsburgh to Palestine,” she said. declared.

In the fall, after Ms. Lee became one of the first Democrats to call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, pro-Israel groups expressed interest in supporting a challenger. But no serious opponent ever materialized. AIPAC, the pro-Israel group that supports challenges to some left-wing candidates and has spent heavily against Ms. Lee in 2022, has focused its attention elsewhere. Polls have shown that dissatisfaction with Israeli military actions has increased among Americans in recent months.

Still, Ms. Lee drew criticism in her constituency from some Jewish voters, who said days before the election that they were unhappy with her positions on Israel. Ms. Patel, 30, also tried to portray her opponent as insufficiently supportive of President Biden. Ms. Lee has pledged to rally her coalition to support Mr. Biden this fall in Pennsylvania, a swing state.

Ms. Lee and her allies benefited from Ms. Patel’s support from Jeff Yass, a prominent Pennsylvania Republican donor who gave significantly to a super PAC supporting moderate Democrats. The group ran ads in the name of Ms Patel, which disavowed Mr Yass and his support.

Ms Patel said in a statement on social media that “we didn’t get the result we wanted tonight, but this race was far from a loss”. “Even though our campaign ends tonight, our cause continues,” she added.

During the primaries, Ms. Lee often promoted her record in Congress, including bringing federal dollars to the district, and framing her candidacy around support for a more diverse Democratic Party and combating Republican-aligned Republicans. Trump. She far outperformed Ms. Patel. In the last fundraising quarter, Ms Lee raised more than three times as much money as Ms Patel.

Speaking to an energetic crowd in downtown Pittsburgh Tuesday evening, Ms. Lee also pledged to support her fellow team members facing challenges nationwide.

“We are going to send a message to our Congress, and we are going to send a message to our nation, that the direction we want our country to go – our coalition – is the coalition of today and the coalition of the “future,” she said.