How progressive ceasefire advocate Summer Lee defanged the opposition ahead of her primary in Pennsylvania

CNN —

Summer Lee is getting used to this.

The freshman congresswoman from Western Pennsylvania ousted regional political royalty on her way to the state House in 2018, then overcame millions in outside spending, nearly all of it from pro-Israel groups, to win the Democratic nomination and her seat in Congress two years ago. This time out, in her first House reelection bid, Republican megadonor Jeffrey Yass is bankrolling a super PAC attacking Lee and boosting her primary challenger, Edgewood Councilmember Bhavini Patel.

In an interview, Lee told CNN she had been “bracing for this moment” since her last run and trusted that her consistency, as a candidate and on the major issues, would see her through to another term.

“I put out there who I am because I am a very honest politician,” Lee said. “I’m not obfuscating, I’m not obscuring parts of me. I’m not hiding one hand when I campaign. I’m telling people precisely what my values are.”

Lee is, indeed, widely considered the prohibitive favorite in Tuesday’s Democratic primary. In addition to left-wing groups and leaders, such as New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who will campaign with her this weekend, Lee has the support of both commonwealth senators, Bob Casey, who’s also up for reelection this year, and John Fetterman. Her top local allies include Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey and Allegheny County Executive Sara Innamorato, a friend who, like Lee, won her first race in 2018 for the state legislature against a well-known incumbent. The first Black woman elected to Congress from Pennsylvania, Lee has also cultivated a working relationship with the White House – President Joe Biden made a point of shouting her out last week during a campaign stop in Pittsburgh.