Democratic Rep. Summer Lee , the first member of the progressive “Squad” to face a primary challenger this cycle, successfully fended off her opponent in her Pittsburgh-based district on Tuesday.
Although it was not the only factor in the race, the Israel-Hamas war undoubtedly hovered over the contest . Lee has been an outspoken critic of Israel’s actions in its war with Hamas and was among the first lawmakers to call for a cease-fire. She was seen as potentially vulnerable to a primary challenge when pro-Israel groups began to threaten heavy outside spending.
But that spending never materialized against Lee — and she defeated Bhavini Patel, a local council member, in Pennsylvania’s 12th Congressional District. After putting in millions of dollars opposing Lee in the midterms and vowing to drop $100 million targeting candidates the group views as anti-Israel this cycle, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee stayed out of the contest this time around. Such spending would have benefited Patel — whom Lee vastly outraised and outspent — although it would have only fueled the criticisms from Lee’s campaign that Republican donors were meddling in the race. (Some of AIPAC’s most prominent donors are Republicans, though notable Democrats also give to the group.)