Freshman Rep. Summer Lee (D-PA) survived a primary election for her House seat in Pennsylvania’s 12th Congressional District, giving a glimpse of hope to other progressive Democrats facing similar reelection challenges over their calls for a ceasefire in Gaza. 

Lee defeated primary opponent Bhavini Patel, a local councilwoman in Edgewood who challenged Lee for her seat over her stance on Israel and calls for an immediate ceasefire in the country. Despite being a prominent member of the progressive “Squad” in Washington, Lee was faced with the contentious challenge in a district with a significant Jewish population and where the Tree of Life synagogue attack took place in 2018 that killed 11 worshippers.