Democratic Radicals on the Ropes?

It now appears that the coming days will determine whether the Democratic Party is returning to the center, or if the radicals are here to stay; if it is becoming more and more progressive, or if the most dramatic upsets in the midterm elections were just a flash in the pan.

By the time this issue is in your hands, we’ll have results for the district of Rashida Tlaib, the BDS-supporting congresswoman from Michigan, who had to face a tough primary challenge. Her opponent is Brenda Jones, a Detroit city council member. The two have already faced off in a primary once before. The first round was won by Jones, who narrowly defeated Tlaib in a 2018 special election to succeed the retiring Rep. John Conyers. In the rematch later that year, Tlaib turned the tables on Jones, and was elected to a full two-year term. Jones, who is African American, hopes to get a majority of the black vote, which forms more than 50% of the electorate. Either way, analysts are predicting another close race.

Tlaib, whose family is Palestinian, has more than once attacked Trump in unprintable words. Last year she was denied entrance to Israel by Interior Minister Aryeh Deri, in accordance with the country’s BDS law, which bars entry to those who support boycotting Israel. Attempts to reach a compromise between the parties didn’t turn out well.

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi has endorsed Tlaib, as well as Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar, who is equally if not more problematic in the eyes of Israel supporters. Tlaib and Omar made history together by becoming the first Muslim women to serve in Congress. But their first two years in Congress have been marked by endless controversies.