State Rep. Summer Lee has been declared the winner of the Democratic primary over Steve Irwin and is a virtual certainty to become PA’s first black congresswoman.
Dave Wasserman of Cook Political Report tweeted:
I’ve seen enough: state Rep. Summer Lee (D) wins the #PA12 Dem primary, defeating Steve Irwin (D).
— Dave Wasserman (@Redistrict) May 20, 2022
Justice Democrats praised Lee’s victory in a statement provided to PoliticusUSA:
Justice Democrats win big in Pennsylvania as progressive Democratic State Rep. Summer Lee wins the open seat primary in PA-12, all but assuring that she will become Pennsylvania’s first Black Congresswoman and expand the Squad in Congress. Justice Democrats recruited Lee to run in October 2021.
Lee will succeed retiring Congressman Mike Doyle, who endorsed her corporate lawyer opponent, Steve Irwin. Irwin was also backed by AIPAC, DMFI, and AIPAC’s affiliated SuperPAC United Democracy Project, who flooded the district with over $2.5 million attacking Lee in an unsuccessful attempt to defeat the progressive State Representative.
The idea that only moderate centrist Democrats can win in Pennsylvania took another hit in the 2022 Pennsylvania primary. Lee is progressive in a solidly blue district, so she should cruise to victory in November.
The statewide victory of Lt. Gov. John Fetterman over Conor Lamb in the US Senate Democratic primary revealed that the Democratic state party leadership could be out of step with their voters.
Lee will make history and, more importantly, represent the values of PA-12.
Mr. Easley is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association