Top House Democrats endorse Rep. Summer Lee in contested primary

U.S. Rep. Summer Lee, D-Swissvale, is gathering some major support ahead of her contested spring primary, as she hopes to hold on to her seat during what is likely to be an expensive and competitive election.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, of New York, endorsed Lee on Wednesday, her highest profile endorsement to date. Jeffries is the top ranked Democrat in the U.S. House.

Other House Democratic leaders joined Jeffries in backing Lee, including Minority Whip Katherine Clark of Massachusetts and Democratic Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar of California. House Democratic leadership typically endorses incumbents.

The three leaders issued a joint statement that praised Lee’s work in advocating for civil rights and said she will be integral in helping to take back majority control in the U.S. House.

“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,” read the joint statement.

Lee, a progressive who often works with like-minded members in Congress like U.S. Rep. Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez of New York, faced a tough 2022 primary that saw an outside group spend millions of dollars against her. She won that Democratic contest by less than 1 percentage point.

Lee thanked Democratic leaders for their support and touted her ability to bring federal investment into the district, such as nearly $400 million for a battery-plant expansion in Turtle Creek.

She said progressive policies are winning issues in elections and can be especially effective against conservative politicians like former President Donald Trump.

“Our progressive movement is creating a blueprint, not just for Western Pennsylvania, but for our entire country for what it looks like to beat Trumpism by leading with compassion and equity and justice,” Lee said.

This past year while in office, Lee made headlines for her stances and votes on the Israel/Gaza War. Powerful political groups like the American Israel Public Affairs Committee have criticized her. Still, the House leadership backing adds to her signficant endorsement list, which also includes U.S. Sens. Bob Casey, D-Scranton, and John Fetterman, D-Braddock.

Her seat, Pennsylvania’s 12th Congressional District, includes Pittsburgh, eastern Allegheny County suburbs, the Mon Valley and Westmoreland County communities such as Murrysville, North Huntingdon, Penn Township, Sewickley Township, Jeannette and parts of Hempfield. Democrats hold a more than 2-to-1 voter registration advantage over Republicans in the district.

The Distict 12 race has already garnered two challengers for this spring’s Democratic primary: Edgewood borough councilwoman Bhavini Patel and Laurie MacDonald, the CEO of advocacy group Center for Victims. This week, Patel earned endorsments from the Operating Engineers Local #66 and Steamfitters union, two influential local labor unions that opposed Lee and funded her challenger in 2022.

The primary election is on April 23.