Washington Post
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) is moving to help two members of the so-called “Squad” who suddenly find themselves facing difficult primaries.
Pelosi endorsed freshman Rep. Rashida Tlaib on Wednesday, praising the Michigan Democrat after an outside group supporting her opponent, Brenda Jones, distributed a leaflet of Jones standing next to Pelosi, smiling.
The endorsement comes two weeks after Pelosi did something similar for Rep. Ilhan Omar, who also finds herself in a suddenly competitive primary. The speaker is currently in the process of filming a video endorsing the Minnesota Democrat, whose challenger has been raising money from Omar critics around the nation, highlighting what he calls her history of divisive comments.
Tlaib and Omar were among the most prominent self-declared socialists to win House seats in 2018 along with their well-known colleague, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.). Now the “Squad” — which also includes Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.) — is playing defense, seeking to protect two of their own whose fame has suddenly become a liability.
Michigan’s primary election is on Tuesday while Minnesota’s will take place on March 11.
Read More →