Summer Lee earns coveted endorsement from top three House Democrats
The show of support comes as a pro-Israel group has hinted it could spend millions to unseat Lee and other progressives of color who support Palestine and are critical of the Israel-Hamas war.
Rep. Summer Lee, a first-term progressive Democrat representing Pittsburgh, earned a coveted endorsement from the top three House Democrats in her campaign to fend off a potential primary challenge funded by the pro-Israel American Israel Public Affairs Committee.
The endorsement comes as AIPAC has hinted it could spend hundreds of millions of dollars to unseat Lee and a number of other progressives of color who support Palestine and are critical of the Israel-Hamas war.
“Since her first days in Congress, Summer has been a fighter for the people—working to keep our communities safe, create good-paying union jobs and protect fundamental rights like reproductive freedom,” House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York, Whip Katherine Clark of Massachusetts and Democratic Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar of California said in a statement. “We proudly endorse Summer Lee’s reelection campaign for the US House of Representatives so she can help us take back the House majority, oppose the extreme MAGA Republican agenda and continue our tremendous progress for Pennsylvanians.”
Lee said the progressive movement is creating a blueprint, for the country—not just for Western Pennsylvania district—on how to beat Trumpism.
“I’m honored to have the support from Leaders Jeffries, Clark, and Aguilar,” she added. “And I look forward to continuing to work with them to protect abortion access, voting rights, and clean energy investments to serve the people of PA’s 12th Congressional District.”
Aguilar told reporters that the endorsement shouldn’t come as a surprise since House Democratic leaders traditionally support House Democratic incumbents.
“I don’t think there’s much news there,” he said. “But I think from our perspective Summer Lee is a thoughtful member. She’s someone who has the back of working families in Pittsburgh, someone who has the support of unions and working families in her region. And I think that’s something that we’ll continue to support and to the extent that we can be helpful with members, that’s what leadership is here for.”
Congressional Progressive Caucus Chair Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) told me that she was thrilled by the top-three endorsement because it affirms Jeffries’ commitment that he’ll stand up for progressives, who are often on the frontlines of online harassment and political controversy.
She added that the endorsement needed to make news because AIPAC is targeting progressive members.
“I think it’s really important for our leadership to stand up and say, ‘You cannot target our members and we will stand by them [because] actually targeting our members is going to hurt our ability to take back the house,” she said. “So I think that’s really important.”
"A source close to the campaign for Cori Bush, another Black progressive Democrat who represents a St. Louis-area Missouri district, told me that the congresswoman and leadership have engaged in conversations around a top-three endorsement of her own.
I’m told Jeffries has prioritized deepening his relationships with progressives, a key voting bloc he’ll need if Democrats reclaim the majority and make him the first Black House speaker in US history.
“I think he is moving very intentionally with an eye towards what governing looks like [with a Democratic majority],” the Bush source said. “I think Jeffries himself has been pretty vocal around protecting his caucus and supporting his caucus. If we get back the majority, there is an element of trust. Can we trust that Jeffries will stick by what he says. I think that that’s what we’re that’s what we’re watching for right now.”
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