U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) has endorsed Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) for re-election in Michigan’s 13th Congressional District.
“Representative Rashida Tlaib is a tireless advocate for the residents of Michigan’s 13th Congressional District,” said Pelosi in the statement on Wednesday. “Rep. Tlaib never stops fighting for her district, which she is proud to represent. And I am proud to endorse her for re-election.”
Tlaib is seeking re-election in the state’s 13th Congressional District, whose Democratic primary is on Aug. 4. She faces Detroit City Council president and former congresswoman Brenda Jones in the primary.
The endorsement comes two weeks after Pelosi endorsed another member of the so-called “Squad,” Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), who is running for re-election in Minnesota’s 5th Congressional District, whose Democratic primary is on Aug. 11.
Like Omar, Tlaib has also been accused of peddling an anti-Israel and anti-Semitic agenda.
It started with displaying a map in her congressional office with a note posted over Israel that reads “Palestine.”
Shortly thereafter, she attacked Republican lawmakers and opponents of the anti-Israel BDS movement by saying “they forgot what country they represent.”
Tlaib met with Hezbollah supporter Abbas Hamideh, who has said that Israel is a “terrorist entity,” even though the congresswoman said that “I do not agree with the statements brought to my attention.”
In May, she said that Palestinians enabled a “safe haven” for Jews after the Holocaust, thereby reiterating her support for a one-state solution.
During her keynote address at the American Muslims for Palestine conference in Chicago in December, Tlaib compared the situation at the U.S.-Mexico border to that of Gaza and Israel and said that she’s advocating for clean water in her Michigan district and “fighting for clean water in Gaza.” AMP is an anti-Israel group that supports the BDS movement and was founded by Hatem Bazian, who co-founded Students for Justice in Palestine.
On Feb. 29, Tlaib addressed the annual gala as the guest of honor for the Missouri chapter of AMP. She was joined by the gala’s keynote speaker, AMP national policy director Osama Abuirshaid, who has expressed support for the U.S.-designated terrorist group Hamas and BDS.
In March, Tlaib was seen wearing a T-shirt of the State of Israel replaced with a Palestinian state and was displaying a then-newly released book by Linda Sarsour, who was removed from the leadership of the Women’s March movement for her anti-Semitic, anti-Israel rhetoric.
Similarly, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) is urging his supporters to campaign for Reps. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) and Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) as they both face increasingly tough upcoming Democratic primary challenges.
“Some of our strongest allies in the fight for justice have tough primaries coming up. Join our day of action this Saturday, Aug. 1, to contact voters for,” tweeted Sanders on Wednesday, tagging Omar, Tlaib, Cori Bush, Victoria Burton-Harris, Monique Worrell and Joe Kimok.
Omar, a first-time legislator, is running for re-election in Minnesota’s 5th Congressional District, whose Democratic primary is on Aug. 11; Tlaib, also a new congresswoman, is running for re-election in Michigan’s 13th Congressional District, whose Democratic primary is on Aug. 4.
She has perpetuated anti-Semitic tropes on Twitter and introduced a resolution in Congress that promotes boycotts of Israel, likening them to boycotts of Nazi Germany.
Antone Melton-Meaux, one of four challengers to Omar in Aug. 11 primary, also considers himself a progressive like Omar, but has been critical of her divisiveness and anti-Semitism. His candidacy has gained support from pro-Israel groups, including $487,000 from NORPAC and Pro-Israel America PAC. He has outraised Omar between April and June with $3.2 million to her $471,000. He has also expressed support for Israel.
Like Omar, Tlaib has also been accused of peddling an anti-Israel and anti-Semitic agenda. Tlaib is facing off against long-time Detroit City Council President Brenda Jones.
Jones, who already beat Tlaib once in a special election and came within a few hundred votes of defeating her in the 2018 Democratic primary, has similarly criticized Tlaib, who has a high-profile nationally, for neglecting her district.
“I am interested in opening a dialogue with people that I do not always agree with for the good of the district,” said Jones recently as reported in Newsweek.
