Rep. Summer Lee, a leftist, will be tested in Tuesday’s primary election on whether she can fend off a challenge aimed in part at her stance on the Gaza war.
The event featured progressive congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York and Tennessee, who rose to stardom after being briefly expelled for protesting the state’s inaction on gun laws. It was Congressman Justin Jones.
Speakers said Lee’s campaign in Pennsylvania’s 12th District is critical to building a movement for workers and fighting billionaire influence in the race. He claimed that.
The rally, attended by hundreds of supporters, included a small group of participants holding signs criticizing Lee and Ocasio-Cortez’s positions on the war in Israel and Gaza outside the Pittsburgh Federation of Teachers headquarters. Participated. Lee’s primary is one of the first down-ballot election tests of this year’s Israel-Gaza conflict.
“Fighting for common sense in the House of Representatives often means being alone. I’ve seen Summer walk alone,” Ocasio-Cortez said. “What we have to do on Tuesday is show her, show the world, show the people in the big white house that she’s not alone.”
“It’s not about winning, it’s about winning big,” she added.
Lee defeated a moderate challenger in a close race in the 2022 primary to become the first Black woman to serve in Pennsylvania’s state legislature. She drew broad support from Democrats this year. Still, she faced pressure in her constituency after being one of the first lawmakers to call for an immediate ceasefire just over a week after Hamas attacked Israel and Israel responded with a military offensive in Gaza. are also facing.
In her remarks, Lee reiterated her support for union jobs, affordable housing and “pro-peace movements.” At one point, she told the audience, “There is no room for people who use our communities against each other for their own political ambitions.”
She frames her race as being about democracy, and seems to acknowledge the increased attention to the position of Israel and Gaza, saying, “One question is whether my community has representation.” “If we decide what to do, we can’t call it democracy.”
Opposition councilor Babini Patel has repeatedly criticized Lee’s votes related to the dispute. Patel said in an interview that she attended a “meeting focused on the Jewish community” on Sunday, and accused the opposition rally of “bringing people here who are not from here.”
Mr. Lee and his supporters have donated heavily to Moderate PAC, a super PAC that supports centrist Democrats, and has supported Mr. Jeff Yass, a Pennsylvania Republican mega-donor who has run ads supporting Mr. Patel. The involvement has been harshly criticized. Mr. Lee and his supporters won their hearts. Her campaign handed out placards on Sunday that read “Move, Yas!” Please move out of the way. (Mr. Patel said he condemned Mr. Yas and his support.)
Lee’s allies also indirectly praised her stance on Gaza. Mr. Jones told the audience that Mr. Lee “taught us that unity is about consistency in acting for each other,” and that unity includes “whether workers in Pittsburgh or Palestinians. It includes a wide range of people, whether it’s people from all over the world,” he said.
“Summer is someone who knows that sometimes confrontation is confirmation that we are on the right path to victory,” he said.
And when Ms. Ocasio-Cortez began criticizing AIPAC, a pro-Israel group that supports challenges to progressive incumbents outside of Pennsylvania, the audience quickly booed the mention of the group.
Lee’s supporters point to his diverse coalition as evidence that he can draw support from groups the NDP aims to motivate, such as young people and voters of color.
Meanwhile, there were a small number of critics outside the venue, some of whom said they supported Patel, held placards criticizing Iran, and criticized Lee and Ocasio-Cortez against Israel. I accused him of being there. Demonstrators said they were particularly unhappy with Lee’s vote last week against parts of a foreign aid package that allocated billions of dollars to Israel and imposed new sanctions on Iran.
“As a Jewish community, we are afraid that by not supporting things like sanctions on Iran, we are making not only Israel safer, but also the United States,” said Julie Parris, regional director of the pro-Israel group Stand With Us. I want people to understand this,” he said. and lives in Pittsburgh.
But Ms. Lee’s supporters far outnumbered Ms. Paris and her compatriots.
Will Allison, former president of College Democrats at the University of Pittsburgh, said his group endorsed Lee, calling it the group’s first preliminary endorsement.
“We are very excited to have her as a member of Congress who can put money back into her district and make the system work for her constituents, while also truly standing her ground and winning tough votes. “I’m very lucky,” he said. He said.
And when Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey took to the stage and asked the crowd, “Do you all know what time it is?” The audience roared back, “It’s Daylight Saving Time!”
