Published: 27 July 2020
Last updated: 4 March 2024
BENEATH THE SPOTLIGHT of this year’s contest between Joe Biden and Donald Trump for the US presidency, the bi-annual election is underway to choose members of the next US Congress. It is primary season during which, in 435 electorates, members of each party select their nominees for the November 3 election.
Among the most closely watched primaries are those involving the four Democrat members of “the Squad”, the fiercely progressive, independent-minded, and dynamic women of colour who were first elected in 2018.
So far, the Squad is doing well. Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts is unopposed in her primary. Last month, the most prominent of the four, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, trounced several opponents, scooping up 70 per cent of the vote.
Still to face their primary challenges are Rashida Tlaib of Michigan (August 4) and Ilhan Omar of Minnesota (August 11), who entered Congress as its first female Muslim members. This ground-breaking moment had increased relevance given the Islamophobia and sexism of President Trump and his Republican Party enablers.
Among the squad members, Trump’s greatest antagonism has been directed at Ocasio-Cortez and Omar. Last month, he called Omar a “hate-filled, America-bashing socialist”. Outspoken and readily identifiable in her hijab, Omar is an easy target, but some missteps have not helped her case.
Early in 2019, Kevin McCarthy, the Republican Minority Leader in the House of Representatives, compared Tlaib’s and Omar’s positions on Palestine to the white supremacist bigotry of disgraced former Republican congressman Steve King.
Omar linked McCarthy’s attack to the influence of campaign contributions organised by the pro-Israel lobbying group, AIPAC, tweeting, "It's all about the Benjamins baby" (“Benjamins” refers to the American $100 note which bears the image of Benjamin Franklin).
Thus, Omar tripped over the anti-Semitic trope attributing great power to Jewish financial interests. It didn’t matter that McCarthy, just a few months earlier, had rallied Republican voters, tweeting, “We cannot allow [the Jews] Soros, Steyer, and Bloomberg to buy this election.” Omar had painted a target on her back.
She was reprimanded by the Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, and other prominent Democrats. Reflecting on her conversation with Omar, Pelosi said “I feel confident that her words were not based on any anti-Semitic attitude but that she didn’t have a full appreciation of how they landed on other people where these words have a history.”
Omar apologised the next day, saying, "I am grateful for Jewish allies and colleagues who are educating me on the painful history of anti-Semitic tropes," adding, "I reaffirm the problematic role of lobbyists in our politics, whether it be AIPAC, the NRA or the fossil fuel industry."
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Here, Omar refers to a fundamental fact of American politics: elections are expensive, with vast sums spent on campaign contributions each election.
The pro-Israel lobby is no exception to this axiom of American politics. As former Washington congressman Brad Baird told the New Yorker, “any member of Congress knows that AIPAC is associated indirectly with significant amounts of campaign spending if you’re with them, and significant amounts against you if you’re not with them.”
Reflecting on her conversation with Omar, Pelosi said “I feel confident that her words were not based on any anti-Semitic attitude but that she didn’t have a full appreciation of how they landed on other people where these words have a history.”
For Baird, that amounted to “two hundred thousand going your way, versus the other way: a four-hundred-thousand-dollar swing.”
AIPAC’s efforts to influence Congress are not entirely indirect. As reported by US news and opinion website VOX, AIPAC promotes its Congressional Club which requires “a minimum donation of $2500 a year” whereby its members “show friends of Israel that you care about who serves in Congress.”
Controversy arose again in August 2019, when Omar and Tlaib were informed they would be denied entry into Israel because of their support for the boycott and divestment movement.
This was an unprecedented move for the Israeli government. A week earlier, Israel’s Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, had been goaded by Trump, who said that admitting the women “would show great weakness … they hate Israel and all Jewish people.”
Members of Congress routinely visit Israel, often on excursions organised by AIPAC. Israel’s ambassador to the US, Ron Dermer, had given assurance that “no lawmakers would be denied entry”.
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The J Street advocacy organisation was among many condemning this decision, pointing out that “as sitting members of Congress representing hundreds of thousands of Americans in their districts, Reps. Omar and Tlaib have the same right as every one of their colleagues to visit Israel and the occupied Palestinian territory”.
Pelosi called the snub “beneath the dignity of the great State of Israel. Schumer characterised it as a sign of weakness, not strength.
There is no doubt that, as Muslim women and strong advocates for Palestinian rights, Omar and Tlaib have entered those murky waters stirred up by the American and Israeli Right, where, as Jewish Currents editor Peter Beinart recently put it, the narrative defines “anyone who takes up the Palestinian cause [as] guilty of anti-Semitism until proven innocent.”
As a result, Omar and Tlaib’s primary challenges are of interest to Jews across the political spectrum.
Only Omar’s website even discusses Israel/Palestine, reiterating her support for the two-state solution as well as her opposition to both anti-Semitism and Islamophobia. She speaks directly and honestly about “learning from her own mistakes and being a better ally”.
However, much as the Jewish community concerns itself with Israel/Palestine, anti-Semitism and AIPAC, neither Tlaib’s challenger, Brenda Jones, nor Omar’s leading challenger, Antone Melton-Meaux, have made these matters central to their campaign.
Among the four candidates, only Omar’s website even discusses Israel/Palestine, reiterating her support for the two-state solution as well as her opposition to both anti-Semitism and Islamophobia. She speaks directly and honestly about “learning from her own mistakes and being a better ally”.
Although Melton-Meaux has criticised Omar for statements “harmful to the Jewish community,” the thrust of his campaign has been to label her a wannabe celebrity whose preoccupation with the national spotlight causes her to ignore the needs of her constituents.
The Omar campaign has shot back that “Representative Omar lives and breathes the 5th District,” pointing out that she and her team have held more than 1,000 constituent meetings and conversations. A group of Jewish supporters agrees, writing that Omar “has done tremendous work for our District”.
A similar back and forth has ensued in Michigan’s 13th District. “I am one that works with people in order to get things done for my community,” Jones said. Tlaib replied that she had opened four neighbourhood service centres, held dozens of town hall meetings, and helped residents secure unemployment benefits and protective equipment during the pandemic.
Of the two, Tlaib is more vulnerable. In 2018, she narrowly defeated Jones, an African American who held the seat for two months after the death of long-time congressman John Conyers. A poll in April and of questionable value today showed Tlaib with a nine-point lead, down from double digits a year ago. Pollster Ed Sarpolus cautioned that although his polling shows Tlaib is vulnerable, Jones entered the race late and has struggled to build momentum.
From a narrowly Jewish perspective, there could be some ambivalence about this race. While some may brace at Tlaib’s advocacy of a one-state solution for Israel/Palestine, others will be turned off by Jones’ history of support for the Nation of Islam and its leader, Louis Farrakhan.
The outcomes and margins in these races will be instructive on the direction of a Democratic Party that has picked Joe Biden rather than Bernie Sanders as its presidential candidate.
Despite an energetic campaign by Melton-Meaux, Omar would seem to have the easier path to victory. She won her 2018 primary by over 18 percentage points. In the city where George Floyd’s murder launched a fervent call for change, Omar’s bold progressive approach gives her a big advantage.
As news website Intercept reported, “Melton-Meaux stands for the moderate city establishment whose credibility has been shattered by the protests, and Omar represents the faction of the city demanding fundamental change.”
Recent polling shows her with a 70% approval rating among primary voters and a 66% - 29% lead on Melton-Meaux. Omar holds this lead despite Melton-Meaux’ having a 5-1 fundraising edge in the last quarter. Much of his support has come from pro-Israel donors, including Pro-Israel America and NORPAC, who have targeted Omar.
Nonetheless, it is unlikely that concern about Israel/Palestine or AIPAC will have much traction in the current historical moment. Omar has been at the forefront of the Black Lives Matter protests, earlier this month giving a widely reported speech on “dismantling all systems of oppression.” Centrist Democrats less comfortable with Omar’s progressive credentials will be reassured by her recent endorsement from Nancy Pelosi.
Although African American himself, Melton-Meaux’s involvement has not been particularly prominent. Additionally, in a state that has seen over 40,000 Covid-19 cases, his opposition to Medicare for All will hurt him.
Neither Jones nor Melton-Meaux claim any identifiably Jewish organisations among their endorsers. Both Omar and Tlaib have been endorsed by Jewish Voice for Peace Action, a strong supporter of Palestinian rights, including the right of return. Tlaib has also been endorsed by the Detroit chapter of IfNotNow, an advocacy group of American Jews calling for an end to the occupation.
Tlaib’s primary is on August 4, with Omar’s following a week later. Whether you view them as inspiring, controversial or celebrity-seeking, one thing is certain: in the American system, more than 90 per cent of Congressional incumbents are successful when seeking re-election.
The outcomes and margins in these races will be instructive on the direction of a Democratic Party that has picked Joe Biden rather than Bernie Sanders as its presidential candidate, a bulwark of the foreign policy establishment prevailing over a man who fights for justice at home and abroad.
Photo: Ilhan Omar (left) and Rashida Tlaib
