Minimizing Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s then-recent victory in 2019, Nancy Pelosi famously said, “This glass of water would win with a ‘D’ next to its name in those districts.”
That may well have been the case for Pennsylvania Democratic House candidate Chris Rabb, a Democratic Socialist who once claimed in an Instagram post that the Bondi Beach massacre in December was a “Zionist false flag.”
Despite once promoting such an antisemitic — and far-fetched — conspiracy theory, Rabb, who is currently serving his fifth term as a state representative, won Tuesday’s Democratic primary in Pennsylvania’s 3rd Congressional District handily. He received 44.7% of the vote, compared to his competitors: Sharif Street with 29.2% and Ala Stanford with 24.1%.
The candidates were vying for the open seat currently held by Democratic Rep. Dwight Evans, who is retiring. Evans threw his support behind Stanford, saying he “more than anybody has the ability to bring people together.”
Reacting to the news on Wednesday, journalist Danny Gold quipped, “Republicans lost [Kentucky Rep.Thomas] Massie, but the Dems gained a guy who said the Bondi Beach Massacre was a Zionist false flag, so it’s really sort of a wash.”
In the video below, Rabb attacks candidates who refuse to call Israel’s actions in Gaza “genocide” at an April campaign event.
According to Rabb, “If you can’t name the demon, you can’t kill it.”
PA-03, which includes Philadelphia, is said to be the bluest district in the U.S. and the only majority black district in Pennsylvania.
In addition to Ocasio-Cortez’s backing, Rabb received endorsements from such progressive luminaries as Reps. Ilhan Omar (D-MN), Pramila Jayapal (D-WA), Jamie Raskin (D-MD), Ro Khanna (D-CA), Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), and naturally, the Democratic Socialists of America.
In their endorsement statement, the DSA noted, “Rabb is our second Congressional endorsement this cycle.”
DSA is incredibly proud to endorse Rep. Rabb and make sure our voices are heard in the halls of power! … He has some tough opponents, and AIPAC and other dark money groups are already boosting his opponents.
Rabb also received an endorsement the radical and antisemitic Hasan Piker, the far-left podcaster who said the United States “deserved 9/11” back in 2019. According to The National Review, when asked if he supports Piker’s past controversial comments, Rabb replied, “I’m not aware of the language he’s used. I’m recently aware of who he is through my sons, actually.”
Ahead of his victory, Rabb told Politico, “I am the troublemaker of the three [candidates], and I believe we need a real troublemaker in troubled times. We need to shake things up.”
Perhaps that’s why Rep. Summer Lee (D-PA), a member of the Congressional Black Caucus, decided to back Rabb in the primary. “We are facing an existential crisis,” she said. “We need people who understand the urgency of right now. There are old ways of doing things and there are bold ways of doing things. And they’re not the same.”
Politico claims that recent redistricting efforts in red states “threaten to force up to one third of the 63-member caucus from office.” The outlet warns that could include Reps. Jim Clyburn (D-SC) and Bennie Thompson (D-MI).
Wouldn’t it be a shame to say goodbye to Clyburn — who famously saved former President Joe Biden’s floundering campaign in 2020 — and Thompson — who chaired the House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol so fairly and impartially?
Citing the CBC as one of the most powerful voting blocs in Congress, Politico notes that Republican gerrymandering “has placed outsized importance on primaries that could impact Black representation in Congress.”
It’s important to note that both Street and Stanford are black. Street is a Pennsylvania state senator and the son of former Philadelphia Mayor John Street, while Ala Stanford is a physician and public health advocate known for founding the Black Doctors COVID-19 Consortium.
Perhaps it was Rabb’s reputation as a political disruptor that resonated with voters. More troubling, however, is the possibility that his open antisemitism was part of the appeal.
Either way, given how heavily Democratic the district is, Rabb is widely expected to cruise to victory in November — much like Ocasio-Cortez did in 2018.
Elizabeth writes commentary for Legal Insurrection and The Washington Examiner. She is an academy fellow at The Heritage Foundation. Please follow Elizabeth on LinkedIn.
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