Congresswoman Newman ousted by fellow Democrats for pro-Palestinian, progressive views
CHICAGO: Although many Arab activists will point the finger at former President Donald Trump and blame him for racism and discrimination against his community, one of the newest and loudest voices supporting Palestinian rights has been voted by the Democratic Party in Tuesday’s Illinois elections. supported during.
Congresswoman Mary Newman, who was elected in 2020 to represent the third district, which has the largest concentration of Palestinian voters, lost her re-election bid to a fellow member of the Democratic Party, who has been admired by both Democrats and supporters. There was support. Israel Pac.
Newman was targeted by these political action committees because he introduced or co-sponsored dozens of resolutions and bills defending Palestinian civil and human rights during his first year in office, which also harshly criticized Israel’s government policies. Had it.
To silence Newman, his supporters said, his own Democratic Party rebuilt his district and forced him to run against a more centrist Democrat, two-time 6th-district Sean Castane. .
Newman lost to Castane in the Illinois Democratic primary on Tuesday, June 28. According to unofficial Illinois State Election Board results, Castane received 54 percent of the vote while Newman received only 42.3 percent of the vote.
Shaidan Mali, a Palestinian-American political adviser who joined Newman’s team, blamed his defeat on “black money” and was denigrated as “anti-Jewish” because of his criticism of Israel’s apartheid policies against Palestinians.
“We can criticize our government,” Mali told Arab News on Wednesday during the broadcast of The Ray Hanania Show.
“We can criticize our government left and right. We do this every day. It is our fundamental democratic right to do so. But for some reason, this whole anti-Semitic label, when we are, when we question, or criticize Israel in any way (that’s how we are labeled). Anyone who is pro-peace, pro-justice in our district and the entire country and the world, is that we want rights to be recognized for all. That’s all.”
Mali said Neumann was the target of a massive attack funded by pro-Israeli critics who opposed his support for justice for Palestine.
“I think we need to take money out of politics. It should not be about who raises the most money. It should be about who best represents the people,” said Mali, Arguing that there should be limits on how much money candidates can spend or receive from a special interest PAC.
“Campaign Reform. We need a whole lot of campaign reform. Every time you mail a negative ad that defames a candidate, that ranges from ($30,000) to $50,000. Most of the times the candidates don’t do it. It is the PACs, the PACs of special interest who are supporting these candidates and acting on their behalf.”
As of June 8, 2022, three weeks before the election, Kasten had raised $3,112,950 and spent $2,572,280, while Newman had raised $1,467,558 and spent $1,176,151.
In addition to the media purchased by Kasten, the pro-Israel PAC spent $504,266 to attack Newman and $154,517 to support Kasten in TV commercials and mailers.
“Black money of course. That’s exactly what’s happening. And that’s what’s happening to Mary every day. We were getting, in my house, we were getting two to three commercials trying to kick Mary out, said the gardener.
“Why is the establishment trying so hard to malign the name of the third most influential MLA from the new fresher class?”
She insisted: “It’s all about the money. It’s awful because we’re not on an equal footing.”
Newman is only a handful of the 435 members of the US House of Representatives who openly criticize Israel.
Mali concluded that it was his own Democratic Party that had marginalized him in the election, leading to his defeat, and a voice for peace and justice was silenced.
The Ray Hanania Show is broadcast live every Wednesday at 5 p.m. Eastern EST on WNZK AM 690 Radio in Greater Detroit, including parts of Ohio, and WDMV AM 700 Radio in Washington DC, including parts of Virginia and Maryland. The show re-airs on Thursdays at 7 a.m. on WNZK AM 690 in Detroit and at 12 p.m. on WNWI AM 1080 in Chicago.
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