Pelosi Backs Engel After Ocasio-Cortez Endorsement of Challenger
(Bloomberg) -- House Speaker Nancy Pelosi put her political weight behind veteran New York Representative Eliot Engel after progressive star Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez backed a challenger for the seat, setting up another conflict between two wings of the Democratic Party.
Ocasio-Cortez's endorsement of fellow progressive Jamaal Bowman in the June 23 Democratic primary against Engel, who is seeking a 17th term in November, is another illustration of the continued tension within the party between the old guard and younger, more left-leaning House members who swept into Congress in 2018.
Commenting on the primary race, Pelosi avoided any harsh words for Ocasio-Cortez, despite her challenge to a longtime Democrat, or mention of Engel's challenger.
“I firmly support Eliot Engel for Congress and I support Alexandria for Congress, as well,” Pelosi said at a news conference at the Capitol. “I think the people of New York are very blessed to have them both in the Congress.”
Engel is facing his first serious primary challenge in years, but Pelosi said that he offers voters of his staunchly Democratic district, which abuts that of Ocasio-Cortez, the benefit of his seniority.
”Chairman Engel is the chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee,” she said. “He is a senior member of the Energy and Commerce Committee.”
“That wouldn't happen again,” she added. “That's a lot of power that he is in that position.”
Earlier: Liberals Seek to Repeat Ocasio-Cortez Feat by Ousting Incumbents
Ocasio-Cortez's endorsement this week of the anti-establishment candidacy of Bowman, a middle school principal, was not a surprise. Bowman got support early in his candidacy last year from Justice Democrats. That's the same the progressive activist group that backed Ocasio-Cortez in her stunning upset primary victory in 2018 over Joe Crowley, a member of the House Democratic leadership.
Engel's status as a longtime member of Congress made him a target for the group. He's had to address questions about his frequent absences from his district. And he was caught on a live microphone at a Bronx event Monday regarding civil unrest following the death of George Floyd, a Minneapolis man in police custody. Engel said he wanted to be one of the speakers because he was facing a primary challenge, and wouldn't care if he spoke otherwise.
©2020 Bloomberg L.P.
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