Last night, Ilhan Omar completed the massive victory of “The Squad” in defending their seats against primary challengers. But they were not the only big stories of progressive victories in the primaries. Jamaal Bowman knocked out Eliot Engel, Cori Bush unseated Missouri incumbent Lacy Clay, whose seat had been in his family for over half a century, Marie Newman defeated Dan Lipinski in Illinois, and others, like Mondaire Jones in New York won victories that were not expected when primary season began.
In two of those races–Omar’s defense and Bowman’s insurgency–enormous efforts were made by pro-Israel PACs and advocacy groups that ultimately meant nothing as both Omar and Bowman defeated the pro-Israel candidates. Several lessons emerge from this: money is not the only decisive factor, blind support of Israel is no longer a prerequisite for winning in Democratic races, and a wave of progressivism is gaining momentum in the Democratic party.