The real difference between Summer Lee and Bhavini Patel The choice between them
The differences between Summer Lee and challenger Bhavini Patel once seemed stark, especially in regards to the Israel-Hamas War. Ms. Patel had aligned herself with the pro-Israeli faction and Ms. Lee stood firmly in favor of a ceasefire, which some interpret to be on the side of Palestinians and (somehow) Hamas.
In their April 4 debate for the Democratic nomination for the 12th Congressional District set, they were more alike than different, offering similar views on economics, safety, immigration and gun control.
Yes, they differed on some issues, notably on foreign policy and uncommitted voters, but nothing that would make any Democrat worried about who will be running in the general election in November.
The Israel-Hamas difference
It seemed like their difference over the Israel-Hamas war would be the defining issue of the election. Rabbis in the city, including my own, signed a letter accusing Ms. Lee of using language “which, at times, we have perceived as openly antisemitic.” They also questioned her “call for an unconditional cease-fire from one side of the conflict, a position that devalues the lives and beliefs of one group.”
For many voters in our city, Ms. Lee’s perceived support of Palestine undermines her viability for office. To be in favor of Palestine, they believe to be against Israel and Jewish people. And in a city that is naturally very guarded against antisemitism, it made sense that this would be tough issue for Ms. Lee.
But during the debate on WPXI, it was Ms. Patel who first called on our country to “provide humanitarian aid to Gaza,” as well as helping create “long-lasting peace and a two-state solution.”
And while she made sure to note that we have “a responsibility to not stoke antisemitism and Islamophobia,” Ms. Patel’s views on the war seem less distinct from Ms. Lee’s than before. Her criticisms of her opponent were less about her views about the conflict and more about Ms. Lee’s notable absence from pro-Jewish events in the city.
Ms. Lee did not address that. Instead, she hammered Ms. Patel on her previous support for Benjamin Netanyahu, as even the Biden administration begins to distance itself from Israeli Prime Minister and his atrocities.
Ms. Patel countered by accusing Ms. Lee of aligning herself with politically unsavory actors, notably almost sharing a stage at an event in Philadelphia with someone who espouses antisemitic viewpoints.
More similar than different
She’s not wrong. Neither of them are. As the conflict in the Levant has evolved, so have the viewpoints of most Americans. I am relieved that I still live in a world where most people are not okay with killing aid workers, journalists and the infirm seeking care at a hospital.
Whether or not they like it, Ms. Lee and Ms. Patel are starting to sound more similar than different in even the biggest issue that defines their candidacies. They both want to end the suffering in the Middle East, they both want hostages freed and humanitarian work to continue, they both call for increased scrutiny and accountability for the Israeli government.
The only other issue of actual difference on policy that stood out was Ms. Patel’s call for Ms. Lee to “denounce the uncommitted movement,” a group of voters who prefer to write “uncommitted” in the primary rather than vote for Mr. Biden.
Ms. Lee pointed out that bringing these voters out to vote is better than letting them remain at home. They will have months to change their minds. Ms. Patel then seemed to conflate the primary with the general election, offering that Ms. Lee’s tactics would hurt the President.
The candidates did their best to articulate the other differences between them, calling out one another’s funders and affiliates, as well as hurling false accusations and exaggerations at one another. Ms. Lee does not want to “defund the police” and it is not true that Ms. Patel’s “entire campaign is backed by Republicans.”
The candidates agree on helping the working class, strengthening unions, working on the root problems of gun control and other issues. Both believe in the power of immigrants and both seem to agree that it’s important to build coalitions.
Right now, the biggest actual differences between the candidates is their rhetoric. Ms. Lee is more progressive and Ms. Patel is more moderate in language choices and communications teams. But Ms. Lee is not the radical she is being painted to be, nor is Ms. Patel a Republican. They are both Democrats, women of color and highly principled politicians.
Their votes in Congress are unlikely to substantively differ. This makes their differences in language matter. It is what will be helping voters choose who to advance from the primary to the general election.
But those differences don’t amount to anything more than a disagreement about how progressive the 12th Congressional District’s member of Congress should sound.