Squad Members Could Face Primary Challengers

The progressive members of the House, also known as the Squad, have been in the news a lot lately because of anti-Semitic statements that they have made.

.@POTUS, the majority of the American people are not with you on this one. #CeasefireNow pic.twitter.com/rV97zrMkad

— Rashida Tlaib (@RashidaTlaib) November 3, 2023

On Saturday, it was revealed that a political action committee funded largely by LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman may be on the brink of launching a primary campaign against some of them.

Scoop: A super PAC funded largely by tech billionaire @reidhoffman may launch a primary campaign against progressives @RashidaTlaib and @CoriBush.
Hoffman's political advisor is in touch with the PAC's leadership about the idea.https://t.co/xkhMkICljZ

— Brian Schwartz (@schwartzbCNBC) November 2, 2023

According to the billionaire’s longtime political advisor, Dmitri Mehlhorn, Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich, and Cori Bush, D-Mo are among their primary targets.

“In change from past, pro-Israel groups rally to oust left-wing lawmakers” https://t.co/c8k2toULQn

— Mehdi Hasan (@mehdirhasan) November 4, 2023

From CNBC:

Mehlhorn told CNBC that he recently approached the heads of the Mainstream Democrats PAC about the idea of backing a primary effort against the two progressive House lawmakers. Tlaib and Bush are part of the so-called “Squad” that also includes progressive New York Democratic Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Jamaal Bowman.

“I have been asking them [Mainstream Democrats PAC] if there is any possibility of ousting the most extreme members of Congress, and I have been asking about Cori Bush and Rashida Tlaib,” Mehlhorn said on Wednesday. Mehlhorn pointed to the two House lawmakers’ critical stance on Israel’s military campaign in Gaza following Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack as the reason they could see a primary effort from the PAC.

Mehlhorn said the conversations have been ongoing over the past month, and based on those communications, he feels hopeful that the PAC will move against Bush and Tlaib.

“I am hopeful that they will come back to me with good news. I would be eager to raise support for that effort,” Mehlhorn explained. He declined to comment further and would not specify who he spoke with from the PAC.

The possible primary fight would be the latest election cycle that the Mainstream Democrats PAC has moved against candidates from within the Democratic Party.

The Mainstream Democrats PAC helped defeat some progressive Democrats during the 2022 congressional midterms, according to data from the nonpartisan OpenSecrets.