Progressive ‘squad’ member Summer Lee will win Democratic primary in Pennsylvania, CNN projects

CNN —

Rep. Summer Lee will win an expensive race for the Democratic nomination in Pennsylvania’s 12th Congressional District, CNN projects, defeating challenger Bhavini Patel, who hammered the progressive freshman over her response to Israel’s war in Gaza.

After condemning Hamas’ deadly October 7 raid, Lee emerged as one of the few early voices calling for a ceasefire, which fueled attacks from pro-Israel groups and Patel, who accused her of ignoring the district’s Jewish community and undermining President Joe Biden’s policy in the region.

But Lee, who faced a heavier barrage of outside spending when she first ran for the seat in 2022, stressed her record of delivering federal funds to the Pittsburgh-area district, her abortion rights advocacy and GOP billionaire Jeffrey Yass’s funding of a super PAC that spent more than $570,000 against her.

“Our victory is a rejection of right-wing interests and Republican billionaires using corporate Super PACs to target Black and brown Democrats in our primaries — be it AIPAC or Moderate PAC or any other MAGA billionaire in Democratic clothing,” Lee said in a statement. “Western PA is the blueprint for the future all of America deserves.”

A member of the House “squad” of progressive lawmakers, Lee was initially believed to be a top target for pro-Israel groups such as United Democracy Project, the super PAC arm of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, and Democratic Majority for Israel – both of which spent big against her two years ago. But the congresswoman’s popularity in the district and the lack of name recognition for Patel, an Edgewood Borough council member, mostly kept them off the airwaves. The Yass-backed Moderate PAC tried to make up the difference, but