Anti-abortion Democratic Rep. Dan Lipinski, D-Ill., will face a 2020 primary challenger from the progressive left — again.
Attorney Marie Newman, who narrowly lost to Lipinski in 2018, on Tuesday said she’ll seek a rematch against one of the few anti-abortion Democrats left in Congress.
In a tweetstorm Tuesday, Newman accused Lipinski of “selling out” Illinois families to corporations and that constituents deserve “a real Democrat.”
I’ve got some big news.
This morning, I’m making it official: I’m running for Congress again to take on Dan Lipinski.
Let me tell you why:
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— Marie Newman (@Marie4Congress) April 16, 2019
“#IL03 needs a representative who won’t sell out working families by siding with corporate special interests. Dan Lipinski voted against Obamacare. He opposes paid sick leave. He won’t even support efforts to strengthen Social Security,” she said. “We deserve a representative who will vote like a real Democrat in Congress— not someone who routinely sides with Trump and conservative interest groups over his own constituents.”
In a statement to the Washington Examiner, Lipinski talked up his legislative record.
“I am running for re-election to build on what I have accomplished to improve the lives of middle-class families in the Third District and our nation. I have been a commonsense Democratic leader who has brought people together to solve problems. Whether it has been helping grow good jobs, improving local transportation, protecting our health by protecting our environment, making healthcare and education more affordable, or making our communities safer, I have been a workhorse who has gotten the job done,” Lipinski said.
“Voters in the Third District have continued to send me to Washington to be an effective legislator, not to be an ineffective show horse. I’m grateful for their support and will continue to be their tireless advocate,” he added.
Lipinski beat Newman in 2018 by a 2,145 votes, or 51.1 percent to 48.9 percent, according to the Illinois State Board of Elections. The election marked the Lipinski’s narrowest margin of victory since he first won his congressional seat, formerly held by his father, Bill Lipinski, back in the 2004 elections.
His 2020 reelection campaign will likely draw together the same coalition that propelled him to victory against Newman, banding together organizations that would otherwise unlikely support Democrats nationwide, including the anti-abortion Susan B. Anthony List and the conservative social values group the Family Research Council. These groups helped Lipinski’s campaign by sponsoring negative ads against Newman and phone banking and door-knocking in his favor.
However, Lipinski did not get the same love from many of his congressional colleagues. Several refused to endorse him, as did the House Democrats’ campaign am.
