The true colors of the Squad members have really shown in the days and now weeks following Hamas' attack on Israel on October 7, so much so that Sister Toldjah at our sister site of RedState reminded how another name for them is the "Hamas Caucus." While each has been problematic in their own way, the members collectively came together on Monday to file a resolution demanding "de-escalation" and "a ceasefire." As Sister Toldjah also pointed out, though, one of the members, Rep. Summer Lee (D-PA) is already getting a primary challenger.
"Squad members face new vulnerability over anti-Israel activism," read a Monday headline from Jewish Insider, discussing both declared primary candidates and potential ones likely to come soon. Early on, the piece mentions that "some of the most prominent members of the Squad are facing the biggest backlash they’ve seen in their political careers."
As was discussed in a significant portion of the piece, Lee has a primary challenger in Councilwoman Bhavini Patel. As the piece mentions about that race specifically, with added emphasis:
Bhavini Patel, a borough councilwoman in the Pittsburgh area who recently launched a House campaign with backing from Jewish and pro-Israel activists, is drawing sharp contrasts on Middle East policy as she seeks to knock off Rep. Summer Lee (D-PA), a freshman Squad member and Democratic socialist.
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The war between Israel and Hamas is resonating in Pittsburgh, where Patel, the local councilwoman who launched her campaign two weeks ago, has already gone on the offensive. In a statement to JI last week, she slammed Lee’s initial comments on the conflict, which condemned Hamas’ “horrifying attack on children and innocent civilians” while pressing for “urgent de-escalation” and “an end to the occupation.”
“Our member of Congress waited to speak out, and then offered qualified remarks,” Patel said. “It’s not enough. Western PA’s historic Jewish population deserves a champion who doesn’t hedge against mass killings and unthinkable violence. Her belated statement fell short on unequivocally condemning Hamas’s terrorist attack on innocent Israeli citizens, suggesting they not be allowed to defend themselves. Israel has a right to defend itself.”
As community members in the Pittsburgh area “came together” after the attack “to mourn the ongoing tragedy and to strongly stand with our ally, Israel, Rep. Lee could not bring herself to show up for her community and was absent from the event,” Patel claimed. “To weakly ask ‘Can’t we all get along?’ when hostages are actively being held,” she concluded, “is callous and out of touch.”
“It takes a breathtaking level of cynicism to leverage the death and suffering of Israelis and Palestinians to score cheap political points,” Lee fired back in a sharply worded statement shared with JI last Thursday. “There are innocent lives in the balance. It is time to come together and focus on how to save innocent people in the region, not a time to be divisive.”
The congresswoman vowed that she has “been hard at work with the State Department helping families evacuate safely home from Israel,” adding that her office has been “in the process of helping multiple families from Pittsburgh — including a family with a toddler — return safely back home to the United States.”
A local Jewish activist involved in efforts to bring constituents back to Pittsburgh confirmed that the congresswoman’s office has been helpful with a handful of “passport cases” in recent days. But the activist said that Lee has not been present at any community gatherings since the attacks, including a rally organized by the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh and attended by several elected officials.
“The community seemed to very much notice and resent her absence,” the activist, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive issue, told JI.
The issue is particularly sensitive in Pittsburgh, where next week Jewish community members will be marking the five-year anniversary of the Tree of Life synagogue shooting — the worst antisemitic attack in American history.
“We’re going to be dealing with a lot of anxiety and emotions around that,” Patel said in an interview with JI last week. “Ultimately, I think it comes down to being present in the district and being present in the community. That is what I feel people want to see.”
Patel ran a short-lived campaign for the seat before dropping out last cycle and then mounting an unsuccessful bid for state legislature. Lee, who won a crowded and bitterly contested race for the nomination in 2022, is not expected to draw any other Democratic challengers as she seeks a second term, according to local political insiders who spoke with JI.
As referenced in the excerpt above, Lee released problematic statements about Hamas' attack on Israel. There was no post to her campaign X account on October 7, the day of the attack. Her most recent post following the attack came on October 8, and was about the Pittsburgh Steelers. Later that day, she addressed the matter, but did so by calling out Israel.
That post in part called for "demand[ing] a ceasefire to allow humanitarian aid to make it into the region."
I echo that call of impartial humanitarian organizations such as OxFam International, Unicef, and Doctors Without Borders.
— Summer Lee (@SummerForPA) October 14, 2023
She didn't post again until October 14, which was to issue more complaints against Israel, this time with regards to Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.
The congresswoman was more active from her official X account, including a post from October 7. The statement, however, was not included as a press update to her official website, though she was all too happy to remind people that she signed onto a resolution calling for a "ceasefire."
The statement, while it condemned Hamas, referenced Israelis and Palestinians together in the statement.
"We need urgent de-escalation and an end to this tragic cycle of violence. To achieve this, we must bring an end to the occupation and help broker a just and lasting peace," the post read towards its closing. "And we also know that there is no military solution that will bring an end to this violence. I am committed to working towards a just peace and building a region where everyone feels safe and protected."
My statement on the escalating violence in the Middle East: pic.twitter.com/bf9wfKu66X
— Congresswoman Summer Lee (@RepSummerLee) October 7, 2023
In addition to her statements and absence at events that members of the community took issue with, Lee was one of those Squad members who voted against a resolution backing Israel in July, which the House voted on after the Congressional Progressive Caucus Chair Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) made anti-Israel remarks.
Lee was also one of nine House members to skip Israeli President Isaac Herzog’s address to a joint session of Congress on July 19, the Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle reported at the time. The outlet has published other pieces on Lee, including when it comes her resolution, and also multiple pieces on how she has dodged interviews with the outlet.
As if that weren't all rich enough, Lee reposted claims to her official account that House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan (R-OH), the Republican nominee for Speaker of the House, has "spread antisemitic tropes." She had previously levied that charge against House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA) last week, when he was briefly the nominee.
The JI piece also mentions a primary challenge that Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) is likely to face from former Councilman Don Samuels, who also ran against her for the 2022 race, and came shockingly close, earning 48.20 percent of the vote to Omar's 50.35 percent. Samuels "is likely to announce his campaign in mid-November after the municipal elections have concluded, according to a Democratic operative working on the launch," the piece mentioned, with activist Sarah Gad having announced her campaign in July.
Another Squad member, Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-NY) may also be facing a primary challenge from Westchester County Executive George Latimer.
Lee won the crowded 2022 Democratic primary for Pennsylvania's 12th Congressional District with 41.9 percent of the vote, just 0.9 percent more than second place finisher Steve Irwin.