Battling for Congress
ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ’S reputation as a political giant-slayer was sealed two years ago when she won a Democratic party primary election by unseating a 10-term congressman.
As the most high-profile member of ‘The Squad’ – a group of four left-wing female Democrats elected to the House of Representatives in November 2018 – the outspoken 30-year-old delights her supporters and enrages her enemies in equal measure.
Next week she may help claim another major political scalp as Eliot Engel – one of the most senior Jewish members of Congress – battles to stave off defeat when New Yorkers vote in primary elections.
The fight for the Democratic nomination in New York’s 16th district exemplifies the manner in which, in an age of hyper-partisanship and gerrymandering when relatively few congressional seats swing between the parties, primary elections are often more important than the ballots voters cast in November. In his rock-solid Democrat seat, Mr Engel, for instance, won re-election in 2018 with 99 percent of the vote.
But Mr Engel, the staunchly pro-Israel chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, now finds himself at the centre of a battle royale between the Democrats’ moderate and insurgent left wings. While he has been backed by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Hillary Clinton, Ms Ocasio-Cortez and former presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders have endorsed his challenger, Jamaal Bowman. He is also being supported by the Justice Democrats, a group which backed Ms Ocasio-Cortez
Vin 2018 and seeks to unseat centrist members of the party. An AfricanAmerican headteacher, Mr Bowman was once seen as a long-shot. With victory now in sight, progressive groups are pouring cash into the campaign.
Mr Bowman has been helped by charges that his 16-term opponent neglects his district. Mr Engel did not help his cause when he was caught at a recent event saying on an open microphone: “If I didn’t have a primary, I wouldn’t care.” He suffered a further blow when Senate Majority leader Chuck Schumer pointedly denied that he had endorsed his fellow Democrat. But in a seat which includes the Bronx, strong support for Mr Engel from the Congressional Black Caucus and House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn, the highest-ranking African-American in Congress, may offer a political lifeline.
Whoever wins the primary next Tuesday is sure to be elected. There is no such certainty, however, about the battle for Georgia’s two Senate seats. Last Tuesday,
Jon Ossoff won the Democratic primary and the chance to take on the Republican incumbent David Perdue, a strong backer of President Trump, in November. Ossoff, a 33-yearold Jewish Democrat, garnered national attention three years ago when he came close to snatching a once-solidly Republican congressional district formerly represented by Newt Gingrich. Polls show Mr Ossoff virtually tied against Senator Perdue. Victory could help the Democrats win the Senate.
Mr Ossoff isn’t the only Jewish Democrat hoping to take down one of the president’s allies in November. Matt Lieberman, son of former vice-presidential candidate Joe Lieberman, will be contesting a by-election for Georgia’s other Senate seat.
Jewish groups there are, however, concerned about two Republicans – Marjorie Taylor Greene and Matt Gurtler – who performed well in primary elections last week. The pair have been accused of having ties to a prominent neo-Nazi leader. Ms Greene is also accused of using social media to spread conspiracy theories and defending the far-right QAnon group. They each topped the poll in two safe Republican districts, although they both face run-offs in August. While proTrump congressman have endorsed them, the Republican Jewish Coalition has said it will support neither.
However, the RJC had better news earlier this month with the defeat of Congressman Steve King’s battle to retain the Republican nomination for his Iowa House district. Mr King, who has held the seat for 17 years, has a long history of making controversial and racist remarks and flirting with the farright. The RJC, which took the rare step of backing a primary challenger to an incumbent, supported Randy Feenstra, a conservative Republican, who went on to beat Mr King by 10 points.
Ms Ocasio-Cortez is expected to win her primary as is Ilhan Omar, who has faced repeated accusations of antisemitism, in Minnesota’s August primary. In greater danger is Rashida Tlaib. The first Palestinian-American woman to serve in Congress, Ms Tlaib eked out a narrow primary victory two years ago in her Detroit seat thanks to a crowded field of candidates. Polls, however, indicate that she may have a fight on her hands in the August 11 primary. While only seeking her second term, Ms Tlaib will, like Mr Engel, be hoping that the power of incumbency still counts for something.
Jewish groups are concerned about two Republicans’