Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) easily defeated her primary challenger, Brenda Jones, according to election results posted Wednesday.
County elections results showed Tlaib with 63,650 votes to Joness 32,582 with 89.9 percent of precincts reporting in the nomination contest, Reuters reported.
Tlaib, 44, was believed to be vulnerable to an upset in her first reelection campaign. The radical Democrat, who identifies as a socialist and regularly challenges party leadership, proved naysayers wrong.
“Headlines said I was the most vulnerable member of the Squad. My community responded last night and said our Squad is big. It includes all who believe we must show up for each other and prioritize people over profits. Its here to stay, and its only getting bigger,” she wrote on Twitter.
The squad refers to a group of Democrat lawmakers including Tlaib, Reps. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.), and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.).
Tlaib and Omar are the first Muslim women in Congress.
“Voters sent a clear message that theyre done waiting for transformative change, that they want an unapologetic fighter who will take on the status quo and win,” Tlaib said in a separate statement released by her campaign.
Jones, 60, president of the Detroit City Council, filled the seat Tlaib holds for five weeks in 2018 after the resignation of Rep. John Conyers Jr. over sexual harassment and assault allegations. Jones wasnt immediately available for comment on her election loss.
Because Michigans 10th Congressional District is deep blue, Tlaib essentially won reelection with her primary victory.
In another closely-watched race, Peter Meijer, a 32-year-old veteran whose family owns the grocery store chain, emerged from a crowded Republican primary for the 3rd Congressional District.
“Im a firm believer that the conservative values that we share: belief in the principles of limited government, of economic freedom, of individual liberty—you look at everything thats strong in this country, and those are the values that underpin them,” Meijer said late Tuesday.
Meijer will face Hillary Scholten, an immigration attorney, in the general election. The seat has been held by Rep. Justin Amash (L-Mich.), a Republican who is stepping down after a short-lived ruRead More From Source
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