Rep. Summer Lee beats back primary challenge in Pennsylvania

Rep. Summer Lee was projected to win the Democratic primary for Pennsylvania’s 12th congressional district, according to Decision Desk HQ, fending off a primary challenge amid- frustration over criticism of Israel.

A freshman member of the Squad and a rising star within the progressive coalition, Lee will go on to compete in the blue district in the general election, beating Edgewood Councilmember Bhavini Patel. 

Lee was a top target this cycle by Democrats and Republicans alike looking to oust the left-wing congresswoman from her Western Pennsylvania seat. Her positions on the Israel-Hamas war, including calling for a cease-fire throughout the conflict and expressing pro-Palestinian sentiments, made her more vulnerable than other House progressives. 

This cycle, her top source of attack was Jeffrey Yass, a billionaire GOP donor, who spent heavily to knock down Lee through a Super PAC supporting Patel.

While Lee faced criticism from some conservatives and moderates, she amassed a base as the popular first Black congresswoman from the state, leading to a sizable fundraising sum. 

According to her campaign, Lee brought in $2.5 million with a $1.18 million war chest. Lee’s campaign said that she outraised Patel by “more than triple” in the first quarter and ultimately “raised more than any other House candidate in Pennsylvania” by Q4. The vast majority of her contributions came from small dollar donations. 

Her groundswell of support was not limited to individual voters in the district. She earned endorsements from a variety of Democrats across the ideological spectrum, from Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) to Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), as well as leading national and local labor, climate and women’s rights organizations like the AFL-CIO and Planned Parenthood Action Fund.

She was also backed by Justice Democrats, who helped recruit and run Lee ahead of the 2022 midterms and the Congressional Progressive and Black Caucuses. Notably, populist Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.), who has been a vocal ally of Israel during his first term in office, also supported her re-election alongside Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pa.).

During Lee’s first race, which she barely won by only a handful of votes, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) and the related Super PAC United Democracy Project, in addition to the Democratic Majority for Israel (DMFI), were all deeply interested in making sure Lee wasn’t elected to Congress. This cycle, however, they were not directly involved, with Yass instead taking a leading role in funding her opponent. 

Yass’s involvement against Lee and link to former President Trump has defined much of the race. Some of her highest profile surrogates like Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) sought to draw a contrast between Lee’s rebuke of corporate money in politics and Patel’s.

“Time and time again, @SummerForPA has stood up to the billionaire class,” Sanders wrote in a post on X just before Election Day. “Now billionaire Trump donors like Jeffrey Yass are spending millions to defeat her.”

The messaging, which was bolstered by Lee herself, proved effective. Her win all-but solidifies another term in the lower chamber as part of the more outspoken wing of the progressive caucus that has been targeted this cycle by moderates and some Trump-algined Republicans from the outside.