An energetic crowd gathered in Pittsburgh on Sunday to support Rep. Summer Lee, a left-leaning congresswoman whose Tuesday primary is a high-profile test of whether she can withstand a challenge aimed in part at her stance on the war in Gaza.
Headlining the event were Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, the progressive representative, and Justin Jones, the Tennessee state representative who became famous when he was briefly removed from office for opposing inaction on state gun control legislation had protested.
Speakers described Ms. Lee’s campaign in Pennsylvania’s 12th District as crucial to building a movement for working people and combating what they portrayed as billionaire influence in the campaign.
The rally, with several hundred supporters, drew a small group of protesters who held signs outside the headquarters of the Pittsburgh Federation of Teachers to criticize Ms. Lee and Ms. Ocasio-Cortez’s stance on the war in Israel and Gaza. Ms. Lee’s primary is one of the first down-ballot electoral tests on the Israel-Gaza conflict this year.
“Fighting for common sense in the House of Representatives means often being alone. I saw Summer walking alone,” Ms. Ocasio-Cortez said. “What we need to do on Tuesday is show her and the world and the people in this big white house that she is not alone.”
“It’s not about winning – it’s about winning big,” she added.
Ms. Lee won a close primary in 2022 against a moderate challenger on her way to becoming the first Black woman to represent Pennsylvania in Congress. She has received broad support from Democrats this year. However, she also came under pressure in her district after she was one of the first congresswomen to call for an immediate ceasefire, just over a week after Hamas attacked Israel and Israel responded with a military attack on Gaza.
During her remarks, Ms. Lee reiterated her support for union jobs, affordable housing and a “peace movement.” At one point she told the audience that there is “no place for people who would use our communities against each other for their own political ambitions.”
She called her race an issue of democracy and appeared to acknowledge the increased focus on her Israel-Gaza stance, saying: “You don’t have democracy when an issue determines whether my community is represented or not.”
Her opponent, Bhavini Patel, a city councilor, has repeatedly criticized Ms Lee’s votes in the context of the conflict. Ms. Patel said in an interview that she attended a “rally focused on the Jewish community” on Sunday and described her opponent’s rally as “bringing people here who are not from here.”
Ms. Lee and her supporters have sharply criticized the involvement of Jeff Yass, a Republican megadonor in Pennsylvania who has given significant donations to the Moderate PAC, a super PAC that supports centrist Democrats and runs ads for Ms. Patel. Ms. Lee and her supporters have picked up on her: Her campaign handed out signs on Sunday that read, “Move, Yass! Dodge.” (Ms Patel said she had denounced Mr Yass and his support.)
Ms. Lee’s allies also indirectly praised her stance on Gaza. Mr. Jones told the crowd that Ms. Lee “shows us that solidarity is about consistently standing up for one another” and that solidarity includes a spectrum of people, “be it the workers in Pittsburgh or the people of Palestine.”
“Summer is someone who knows that sometimes confrontation is the confirmation that we are on the right path to victory,” he said.
And when Ms. Ocasio-Cortez began criticizing AIPAC, the pro-Israel group that supports challenges to progressive incumbents outside Pennsylvania, mention of the group was immediately booed by the audience.
Supporters of Ms. Lee pointed to her diverse coalition as evidence that she can draw support from the groups the national Democratic Party wants to motivate, such as young people and voters of color.
Meanwhile, outside the venue, a handful of critics, several of whom said they supported Ms. Patel, held signs criticizing Iran and portraying Ms. Lee and Ms. Ocasio-Cortez as opponents of Israel. Protesters said they were particularly unhappy with Ms. Lee’s vote last week against parts of a foreign aid package that provided billions for Israel and imposed new sanctions on Iran.
“We as a Jewish community are afraid and we want them to understand that not supporting things like the Iran sanctions makes not only Israel but America less safe,” said Julie Paris, regional director of the pro-Israel group StandWithUs and resident in Pittsburgh.
But Ms. Lee’s supporters far outnumbered Ms. Paris and her compatriots.
Will Allison, who served as president of the College Democrats at the University of Pittsburgh, said his group had endorsed Ms. Lee, the first primary endorsement he said the group had made.
“We are very fortunate to have her as a congresswoman who can give money back to the district and make the system work for us as her constituents, but who can also authentically stand by her positions and take these difficult votes,” he said said.
And when Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey took the stage and asked the crowd, “Do you know what time it is?” The audience shouted back emphatically, “Daylight saving time!”
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2024-04-22 13:07:41
www.nytimes.com
