Pro-Israel America Endorses Rashida Tlaib's Challenger and 7 Other Primary Candidates

Pro-Israel America (PIA) and the Pro-Israel America PAC announced on Monday that it endorsed eight new candidates in the 2022 primary, including at least three where opposing candidates have taken anti-Israel positions.

In a news release, the organization stated that it will throw its support behind Detroit city clerk Janice Winfrey, who is challenging incumbent Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) in Michigan’s 12th Congressional District. Tlaib has a leader in the progressive “Squad” standing against Israel on key votes in the U.S. House of Representatives.

PIA executive director Jeff Mendelsohn, in a news release, called Winfrey’s primary a key race based on its competitiveness.

He also named two other candidates who are facing opponents with anti-Israel records, including Rep. Steve Irwin (D-Pa.) and Democratic Kentucky State Sen. Morgan McGarvey, who are both facing challengers aligned with the anti-Israel Justice Democrats organization.

“We will continue to bring the power of the pro-Israel grassroots community to help these fresh candidates and proven leaders in Congress who support a strong U.S.-Israel relationship fight and win in their competitive races,” Mendelsohn said in a release.

Other endorsements include Reps. Bill Huizenga (R-Mich.), Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.), Reps. Chris Smith (R-N.J.), Pete Stauber (R-Minn.) and Chicago Alderman Gilbert Villegas (D-Ill.).

Villegas’s race for Illinois’s open 3rd Congressional District seat is also considered a significant competitive primary.