Far-left activists are hoping to build on the momentum of a strong showing in Texas by shifting their immediate attention to western Pennsylvania, where state Rep. Summer L. Lee is running to transform the Democratic Party in the 12th congressional district primary race.
Victories by progressives in three Texas races last week were important “because of the ripple effect that they create for other candidates in later primary elections to also be able to have a shot at winning,” said Alexandra Rojas, executive director of Justice Democrats, the far-left group that gave rise to Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York.
Ms. Rojas said in a virtual conference call this week that the results in Texas are “keeping the door open and getting more and more Justice Democrats and working-class people into some of the highest levels of power.”
She applauded the group’s volunteers, saying their phone banking, canvassing and donations made a huge difference in Texas. Ms. Rojas urged them to focus that same energy on powering Ms. Lee to victory in Pennsylvania’s May 17 primary.
“We have to get to work,” she said.
Ms. Rojas said her group is seeking to raise $100,000 before the end of the month to fund their pro-Lee push.
Liberal groups emerged from the Texas primary with extra pep in their step after former Austin City Council member Greg Casar emerged victorious in the 35th congressional district — all but guaranteeing that he will capture the seat in the November election.
There was more good news for progressives in the 28th and 30th congressional districts, where state Rep. Jasmine Crockett and immigration advocate Jessica Cisneros advanced to the May 24 primary runoffs — putting them a step closer to the general election.
Ms. Lee is running as a progressive warrior. She has collected endorsements from several far-left groups, including Democracy for America, Progress Change Campaign Committee and the Working Families Party, as well as powerful unions such as the SEIU PA State Council.
University of Pittsburgh law professor Jerry Dickinson, Democratic activist Steve Irwin, and small business owner Bhavini Patel are also running in the Pennsylvania House contest.
Speaking at an endorsement event this year, Ms. Lee said voters have the opportunity to elect fresh leaders of the Democratic Party and be part of a movement that is “going to lift up the power of working class people all over this commonwealth, all over this nation.”
“We can have bold leadership that centers poor and working folks of all backgrounds, of all genders, of all religions from all neighborhoods,” Ms. Lee said. “We deserve to have folks that recognize we have to have an urgency, and the only folks who are going to move with the urgency we need are the folks who have lived it.”
“Because when you have lived these things, when you have lived on the frontline of COVID, when you have lived on the frontline of racial injustice, and economic injustice, you just move different,” she said.
Ms. Lee and other far-left candidates around the country are running to raise the federal minimum wage to $15 and to strengthen and protect labor unions. They are promising to fight for Medicare-for-all, and the Green New Deal that calls for an upheaval of the energy sector. They are pledging to cancel student debt and overhaul the criminal justice system.
The progressive groups also plan to return their attention to Ms. Cisneros’ May 24 runoff race and hope to deliver a final blow against conservative Democratic Rep. Henry Cuellar.
Ms. Cisneros thanked activists this week, and said the work is far from done.
“I’m just really excited to finish what we started,” she said. “We are showing people what can happen when you have people-centered policy and a people-centered campaign and how it can go toe-to-toe with any kind of political machine, with any kind of corporate establishment machine and we are just one step away from finally unseating Henry Cuellar.”
Mr. Casar said he hopes the success in Texas inspires people across the nation to get more involved, saying Ms. Ocasio-Cortez’s victory in 2018 in New York did just that.
“The hope is that with this race, and this victory in the first primary here in the entire country that it can springboard us to so much more change in the coming year,” he said.
• Seth McLaughlin can be reached at smclaughlin@washingtontimes.com.
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