Indian American Bhavini Patel fails to unseat Squad member Summer Lee in PA 12th district race

Patel’s pro-Israel platform falls short against Lee’s progressive agenda

Indian American Bhavini Patel has failed in her bid to oust progressive Democrat Rep. Summer Lee in Pennsylvania’s 12th Congressional District.

With an estimated 98.3 percent of votes counted, Lee received 63,756 votes, comprising nearly 61 percent of the total, while Patel trailed behind with 39 percent.

Her victory “caps one of the most closely watched races in southwestern Pennsylvania this cycle. It confirms definitively the ongoing strength of the progressive wing of the Democratic Party in Western Pennsylvania,” the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette wrote on Tuesday night.

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During the campaign, Patel, an Edgewood Council member, criticized the freshman Democrat over her calls for a ceasefire in Gaza. She had accused Lee of ignoring the district’s Jewish community and undermining President Joe Biden’s policy in the region.

The Indian American labeled Lee as an extremist, asserting on her website, “Democrats must unite and uplift diverse voices and reject extremism within our own party.”

“We deserve a Democrat who fights for our shared priorities and supports the President. There’s no time for in-fighting, and we have zero margin for error. I’m committed to advancing progressive issues like advocating for gun violence prevention, fighting for reproductive justice, and creating good-paying union jobs.”

“Our victory is a rejection of right-wing interests and Republican billionaires using corporate Super PACs to target Black and brown Democrats in our primaries — be it AIPAC or Moderate PAC or any other MAGA billionaire in Democratic clothing,” Lee said in a statement. “Western PA is the blueprint for the future all of America deserves.”

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Initially considered a prime target for pro-Israel groups like the United Democracy Project and Democratic Majority for Israel, both of which heavily invested against her two years ago, Rep. Lee, a member of the House “squad” of progressive lawmakers, managed to secure victory comfortably. The congresswoman’s strong support within the district and the relatively low name recognition of Patel largely kept these groups from dominating the airwaves, CNN reported.