In one of the first tests for a squad member in the 2024 US election cycle, incumbent Summer Lee won her district's Democratic primary in Pennsylvania.
Though the margin was broad in the end, with her edging out her opponent by more than 20 points, her path to victory saw multiple obstacles, including a well-funded and determined opponent who used Lee's criticism of Israel's war on Gaza as a campaign strategy to try to portray her as 'antisemitic'.
"A lot of people wanted to convince us that we could not be pro-peace and win this district," Lee said in her victory speech, in which she called for peace from Pittsburgh to Palestine.
"Our movement is expansive enough and big enough for each and every one of us," she said, referring to divisions within the Democratic Party. "We won't be ashamed and put our heads down when we say that we want no more wars when we say that people deserve dignity and human rights and self-determination whether they are Jewish or Muslim or Black or white or if they're in Gaza or in Pakistan or in Haiti."
Lee's primary victory comes amid organised efforts to oust progressive members of Congress, largely over their support of their criticism of Israel, particularly over the last six months with Israel's war on Gaza, with the death toll of Palestinians reaching nearly 35,000.
The American Israel Public Affairs Committee reportedly invests around US$100 million to beat progressives in the 2024 cycle. It spent over US$3 million to defeat Lee in 2022 but largely stayed out of the race this time.
"AIPAC didn't get into the race in a major way because they thought she wasn't beatable," Connor Farrell, founder and CEO of Left Rising, a progressive fundraising firm, told The New Arab.
"She's young, dynamic and progressive. She worked hard to box out the competition," he said.
Though her victory could be a good sign for her fellow squad incumbents, polling and fundraising numbers indicate significant vulnerabilities for several of her progressive colleagues.
Cori Bush of Missouri and Jamaal Bowman of New York are facing serious challenges to their seats, with recent polls showing them trailing their opponents by double digits. Meanwhile, while less vulnerable than them, Ilhan Omar is facing an opponent who nearly beat her in the primary two years ago.
As for Lee, she appears to have built a strong coalition that could give her staying power in her district. Farrell said, "Summer will be representing Pittsburgh for a long time."