The left-wing “Squad” in Congress is set to disappear as its members failed to secure primary election victories. The group of lawmakers that comprise “the squad” were elected in 2018, each professing hard left-wing beliefs. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, Rep. Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts, and Rep. Rashida Tlaib of Michigan comprised the initial group, but Missouri’s Rep. Cori Bush and New York’s Jamal Bowman are generally considered additional members.
Both Bush and Bowman were defeated in their primary bids and will not, therefore, return to Congress. Meanwhile, analysts believe Ocasio-Cortez has altered her positions and joined mainstream Democrats at the political center.
The two Democrats who failed to secure primary wins were targeted by the pro-Israel American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) organization, which actively supported their opponents. Mr. Bowman lost out to AIPAC-backed Westchester County Executive George Latimer after the group spent more than $14 million campaigning against the “squad” member.
Some Democrats complained that AIPAC would silence some lawmakers out of legitimately criticizing Israeli actions, but a spokesperson said the group was proud to “engage in the democratic process and help elect candidates who stand with Israel as it battles Iranian terrorist proxies.” AIPAC began campaigning against Bowman when he accused Israel of committing genocide in the Middle East.
Rep. Cori Bush lost out to St. Louis prosecutor Wesley Bell, who took 51% of the vote. AIPAC likewise spent millions of dollars campaigning against the Israel critic after she became the first Congressional lawmaker to call for a ceasefire in the Israel–Hamas war. The Congresswoman also faced fierce criticism from pro-Israel quarters when she described the Jewish state’s response to the Hamas terror attack last October as a war crime. She condemned the Hamas atrocity but said it did not give Israel the right to institute a “collective punishment of Palestinians.”
During the primary campaign, AIPAC issued numerous advertisements and leaflets throughout Missouri attacking Bush’s Congressional record, including her support for police defunding calls that followed the Black Lives Matter riots of 2020.
Wesley Bell is expected to comfortably win the Congressional seat in November.
