Why the progressive “Team” is getting smaller

WASHINGTON — “The Team,” a group of progressive House lawmakers, is set to shrink next year after two members suffered primary defeats this election cycle amid an unprecedented deluge of special interest spending.

The primary losses of Reps. Cori Bush of Missouri and Jamaal Bowman of New York came over the summer and dealt a blow to the progressive faction, which has amassed considerable influence within the Democratic Party since its initial rise in 2018.

The cohort of black and brown lawmakers — including Reps. Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, Alexandria Ocasio Cortez of New York and Summer Lee of Pennsylvania — have become targets of pro-Israel PACs such as the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, or AIPAC, at the end of last year. after members criticized Israel’s response to the October 7 attack by Hamas. Eight months later, AIPAC’s super political action committee, the United Democracy Project, helped oust Bush and Bowman after pouring nearly $25 million into those races.

However, there were other factors that contributed to the defeat of Bush and Bowman beyond their Israel stance, raising questions about the extent to which voters rejected their progressive politics.

Another member of the team, Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, easily won Tuesday’s primary against a repeat challenger despite voting similarly to Bush and Bowman the past two years and being a vocal critic of Israel.

Here’s how the three Democratic primary races played out:

Bowman – New York’s 16th District

Bowman was particularly vulnerable this election cycle because of redistricting.

His new district map eliminated most sections of the Bronx and added several suburbs of Westchester County, greatly reducing the number of black voters who were key to Bowman’s re-election effort.

Then Bowman drew a strong opponent in well-known County Executive George Latimer, a centrist with more than three decades of political experience in the Westchester area.

Latimer entered the race with the support of Jewish leaders in the district who were angered by Bowman’s critical stance on Israel. He also enjoyed considerable financial support from AIPAC’s super PAC, which poured about $15 million into the race to support him.

The contest was largely shaped by Bowman’s stance on Israel. Latimer viewed the incumbent as more focused on Israel than the needs of the district. Latimer also touted his deep regional knowledge to argue to voters that he could be a more effective member of Congress.

Bowman, who was seeking a third term, also had to fend off lingering criticism about setting off a fire alarm in a House building while lawmakers were working on a funding bill. He said it was unintentional, but the incident attracted waves of embarrassing coverage and he was censured by the House for his actions.

Bush – Missouri’s 1st District

The focus of campaign ads against Bush in recent weeks ahead of her August primary against St. Louis Wesley Bell was not her scathing criticism of Israel or its leader, Benjamin Netanyahu, but a vote that she and five of her bandmates. taken at the end of 2021.

The United Democracy Project, which has spent more than $8.4 million against Bush, has begun running local media ads highlighting the 48-year-old’s vote against a bipartisan infrastructure bill signed by President Joe Biden and supported by most Democrats. in Congress.

“This infrastructure bill that Joe Biden passed was so good for the working people of St. Louis,” one voter said during the 30-second ad. “Cori Bush Voted No.” Another added: “She voted against our jobs.”

Bush, Bowman, Omar and other progressives defended their vote against the bill at the time, saying it was a necessary stance as they fought to pass a separate social and environmental package. But their vote on the bill became just a campaign issue for Bush.

Bush allies say the campaign to defeat her would not have been possible if Bell had not had the support of outside groups such as the UDP, which spent more than $400,000 to air the half-minute spot, according to tracking company data media AdImpact.

“If you asked a voter in any of these districts earlier this cycle, ‘Do you know how your member of Congress voted on the infrastructure bill?’ no one would say yes,” Usamah Andrabi, a spokesman for the Progressive Judiciary Democrats, told The Associated Press. “Nobody thought about a vote that took place three years ago on a bill that was passed.”

Beyond her legislative record, Bush has faced a series of public and personal scandals over the past few years, including an ongoing Justice Department investigation into her campaign spending.

Omar – Minnesota’s 5th District

Omar managed to avoid the fate of her two teammates and had several things going in her favor. First, the congresswoman of African descent, who has broken many firsts since being elected to Parliament in 2018, had the advantage during Tuesday’s primary of having previously defeated her challenger.

In 2022, former Minneapolis City Councilman Don Samuels came within two percentage points of defeating Omar with the help of the UDP, which spent six figures in the race. This time, the third-term lawmaker took the threat posed by Samuels and a potential influx of AIPAC money much more seriously.

“I think the congresswoman and her team understood that there was a lot of work to be done to remind the people of that district what kind of leadership she brought,” Andrabi said. “And I think she exemplified that.”

Omar also raised significantly more money for the primary, with her campaign reporting that she raised about $6.2 million. Samuels, on the other hand, raised about $1.4 million.

“What we were hoping for was that a strong ground game and attention to detail for people who felt left out would overcome an overwhelming dollar superiority,” Samuels said in a recent AP interview. “It’s clear that money matters a little more in politics than we’d hoped.”

Omar’s substantial fundraising lead, along with the support of the Minnesota Democratic Party and progressive leaders like Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, helped her win by nearly 14 points.

And perhaps the most important factor in her race was that groups like AIPAC ultimately did not get involved, despite threatening to unseat any candidate they deemed insufficiently pro-Israel.