Washington Times, January 2022
A new generation of liberal Democrats is entering the political arena with a rush of candidates looking to oust the party’s old guard this year. Justice Democrats, the political action committee that helped elect “The Squad”—the ultra-liberal group of six congressional House members led by New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez—is mobilizing around a new slate of candidates running primary challenges this year against several incumbent Democrats. The new faces are younger and more diverse, and back far-left policies, like the Green New Deal and universal health care, that more moderate members have mostly declined to endorse.
“We need a new generation of diverse, working-class Democrats to build a bloc that will vote together and help build the movement,” Justice Democrats’ website reads. “We recruited and helped AOC pull off one of the biggest upsets in American history, but the top of the Democratic Party is still disproportionately wealthier, whiter and more male than the base.”
It’s a battle for the heart of the Democratic Party and a test of whether voters are ready for a dramatically left-wing vision for America. This year, the battle is playing out against a bleak election cycle in which House Democrats are expected to struggle to hold onto the majority. Justice Democrats is backing at least six candidates running for open seats or in primary challenges against longtime members of their party.
