Democrat Primary Candidates Threaten Far-Left ‘Squad’ Members

Establishment Democrats could break up the party’s far-left “Squad” with primary challenges against firebrands Reps. Rashida Tlaib and Cori Bush. The two are part of the five-member, far-left Squad, along with Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), Ilhan Omar (D-MN), and Ayanna Pressley (D-MA).

The Daily Beast reported both congresswomen have “become stalwarts for the progressive movement.”

But that distinction has also put them in the crosshairs of center-left Democrats who hope to retire them, according to the Daily Beast:

In Missouri, that’s amounted to Bush facing a challenge from state Sen. Steven Roberts (D). Roberts’ family has been an institution in the St. Louis area for years; with his father being a prominent entrepreneur in the area who now serves on the equity and diversity council at the Federal Communications Commission. The state senator has steadily risen through the ranks of St. Louis politics while serving in the Air National Guard, and he’s branded himself as the more pragmatic alternative to Bush’s progressive approach.

Though Bush has defied party leadership on high-profile votes like the bipartisan infrastructure plan and more security funding for Supreme Court Justices, she has voted in-line with Biden 93 percent of the time, according to FiveThirtyEight. Outside of her voting record, however, she has been an outspoken critic of the administration’s approach on a number of progressive issues, including defunding the police and canceling student debt.

And while Tlaib, similar to Bush, votes with the president 94.3% of the time, she has taken some votes against the party line over the years and been willing to call out the president’s inaction on some progressive causes, which some moderates believe has left her vulnerable. Alongside Bush and four other members of the progressive squad, Tlaib voted against the bipartisan infrastructure bill last year in protest to not passing the Build Back Better Act, which prompted some backlash in her district.

The Daily Beast also reported on Roberts’ legal challenges, including charges he sexually harassed a woman and raped the state Rep. Cora Faith Walker. Roberts settled in both cases but has denied the charges.

As for Tlaib, the Detroit Free Press endorsed Tlaib in the Democratic primary this month, with the paper’s editorial board suggesting Detroit City Clerk Janice Winfrey “would be out of her depth in the U.S. Congress” and commending Tlaib for her work with constituent services and finding common ground with her colleagues in Congress.

“The new 12th District puts Tlaib in front of voters she’s never had to win over, but she’s one of the finest retail politicians in Michigan,” the editorial board wrote.

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