A New "Squad" Is Heading to the House

[Uncle Joe]

New Squad just dropped. Photos by Thomas Simonetti for The Washington Post via Getty Images, Jeff Schear/Getty Images for IL GND Coalition, Montinique Monroe/Getty Images, and Reuters.

The demise of progressives may have been greatly exaggerated. During primary season, it became something akin to gospel that progressives were in retreat, as Democratic moderates rode a wave of super PAC money to a number of primary wins. But, even early in the night on Nov. 8, progressives had already secured themselves a full class of newcomers—winning high-profile House races with Florida’s Maxwell Frost, Illinois’s Delia Ramirez, Texas’s Greg Casar, and Pennsylvania’s Summer Lee. In the past two cycles, progressives had four big triumphs each time: Ilhan Omar, Ayanna Pressley, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Rashida Tlaib were elected in 2018; Jamaal Bowman, Mondaire Jones, Marie Newman, and Cori Bush in 2020. If you want to stretch out the “Squad” moniker for a third election cycle, we have a new Squad, 2022.

Those four races all came in true-blue districts, although none of them was a true certainty, especially in an electoral environment where Republicans claimed they were competitive basically everywhere. The year 2021 marked the first time that the Congressional Progressive Caucus counted a larger membership than the moderate New Democratic Caucus. The addition of four new members will grow their ranks even further. Despite major efforts by various outside spending groups to move the Democratic party to the right during primary season, the leftward push continues.

(snip)

Progressives didn’t stop there. The victory of Chris Deluzio, a one-time Bernie Sanders delegate, in Pennsylvania-17, is at least as big of a triumph as the aforementioned victories. PA-17 was, until recently, held by Conor Lamb, one of the farthest-right members of the Democratic House caucus. He left the seat for a doomed primary campaign against eventual Senate winner John Fetterman. Vermont’s Becca Balint, a Sanders endorsee, and also a champion of Medicare for All and the Green New Deal, won her race as well. Jasmine Crockett, in Texas, is another progressive notable.

There are a number of other races that could prove consequential for progressives but are still to be decided. In Oregon’s 5th district, Jamie McLeod-Skinner would be a huge pickup for progressives in a true tossup district, one that was forecasted to be won by Republicans. If McLeod-Skinner can pull it out, that would represent one of the biggest swing district triumphs for progressives nationwide. That may be a long shot, but it would be a cherry on top of a delightful night for the left-flank of the Democratic party.

(snip)

https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2022/11/progressives-midterms-maxwell-frost-delia-ramirez-summer-lee-greg-casar.html

[malthaussen]

1. Yeah, but four people isn't a squad, it's a fire team... n/t

[Uncle Joe]

2. Unless they're Mod n/t

[malthaussen]

3. LOL. n/t

[Probatim]

4. After all the flyers I received about Summer Lee, I hope to Dog she's a thorn in their sides.

One flyer talked about how 97% of the country wanted politics to be more civil - then went on to describe her as the antichrist. They really ran hard against her and I'm so happy they lost.

[republianmushroom]

5. Diversity I like it and we need it IMO