Justice Democrats endorses seven House members’ reelection bids

Justice Democrats, a liberal advocacy group, on Thursday endorsed seven incumbent House members in their 2020 reelection bids.

The progressive organization endorsed Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.), Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.), Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) and Raúl Grijalva (D-Ariz.).

“We are proud to re-endorse some of the strongest voices in the Democratic Party for solutions that match the scale of our country’s problems,” Alexandra Rojas, executive director of Justice Democrats, said in a statement.

{mosads}“These leaders have all brought a breath of fresh air to a party that for too long was simply catering to Wall Street donors, Republicans, and piecemeal solutions. Justice Democrats are going to continue fighting to elect new leadership inside the party, shift the terrain of what’s considered politically possible, and create a party that’s accountable to its voters, not corporate donors.”

Justice Democrats made waves in the 2018 midterm elections by supporting Ocasio-Cortez in her unexpected primary win against longtime Democratic New York congressman Joseph Crowley.

Although Thursday’s endorsements are all for progressive incumbents, the group said it will support more primary challengers to House incumbents in safe blue districts in 2020, and has made Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-Texas) its first target.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) pushed back against groups with similar goals in March, warning would-be campaign vendors that the party wouldn’t award contracts to political firms working for primary challengers.

“The DCCC is using financial leverage to try and stop leaders like Ayanna Pressley and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez rising in the party through primary challenges,” Rojas said in a statement at the time.