DOUBLE THE JAYAPAL, DOUBLE THE ... FUN? AND OTHER UNKNOWNS We, along with plenty of House Democrats, are closely watching two Democratic primaries in Oregon on Tuesday. One could determine whether Congress gets two members of the Jayapal family, and the other could help decide the House majority this fall. To make sense of the dynamics, we thought we’d focus on the primary night’s three biggest questions. 1. Can the Jayapal name help power a second family progressive into office? In Oregon’s 3rd Congressional District, the party primary’s top three candidates are two establishment Democrats, state Rep. Maxine Dexter and Gresham City Councilor Eddy Morales – and Susheela Jayapal, the former Multnomah County Commissioner and Rep. Pramila Jayapal’s (D-Wash.) older sister. Each of the three has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars in the hopes of winning the seat of retiring Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.). Blumenauer told Inside Congress he’s staying neutral in the primary: “All three of the frontrunners are friends of mine. I've worked with them. I like and respect them. And they start every one of their public meetings pledging to follow in my footsteps.” Members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, which Pramila Jayapal chairs, have taken different sides in the race. The LGBTQ-focused Equality PAC, aligned with several sitting progressives, has endorsed Morales; Pramila Jayapal and some of her allies, as expected, are backing Susheela Jayapal’s bid. “She has been the frontrunner. And they're going after her because they know that if one Jayapal was bad, two Jayapals is definitely good double trouble,” quipped Pramila Jayapal. Rep. Becca Balint (D-Vt.) underscored that her support for Morales, who is LGBTQ, is “not personal.” “Before I ever knew that Pramila Jayapal’s sister was getting in, I knew Eddie Morales from Equality PAC … So it was an easy decision for me,” Balint said. If Susheela Jayapal wins the primary (which effectively settles the winner of the general election in this deep-blue district), they’ll be the only set of siblings in Congress. There hasn’t been a sister pair since Reps. Loretta and Linda Sánchez served together as Democrats from California. 2. Will the AIPAC whispers bear fruit or backfire? Susheela Jayapal, notably, has not shied away from the criticism of Israeli government-aligned interests that has occasionally tripped up her younger sister and other sitting progressives. In what’s become a familiar dynamic this cycle on the left, Susheela Jayapal has accused the American Israel Public Affairs of meddling in the primary by funneling money to Dexter. The top news article on her campaign website is a story from the liberal-leaning Intercept saying AIPAC and Republican donors are fundraising for Dexter. Our colleague Jessica Piper crunched the numbers and found that campaign finance reports from April don't show any money directly flowing into the race from AIPAC or its affiliated groups. However, Dexter has received money from 314 Action, one of whose top donors is also a major donor to the AIPAC-affiliated super PAC, UDP, as well as a range of Republican candidates. Dexter’s campaign, asked for comment about the rival campaign’s suggestions of AIPAC involvement, said in a statement that “Maxine’s record of listening to people, working with others, and delivering progressive results for her constituents makes her the clear choice for Congress.” An AIPAC spokesperson declined to comment about the Susheela Jayapal campaign's allegations. 3. Will the DCCC succeed at a move it rarely makes — putting its thumb on the scale? Over in Oregon’s 5th district, state Rep. Janelle Bynum and attorney Jamie McLeod-Skinner are vying in the Democratic primary to take on first term Republican Lori Chavez-DeRemer. Democrats see the district, which President Joe Biden won by about nine points in 2020, as a top pickup opportunity — so the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has taken the unusual step of backing Bynum in the primary over the more progressive McLeod-Skinner. McLeod-Skinner, who has carved out a more progressive lane in the primary, is looking for a rematch after narrowly losing to Chavez-DeRemer in 2022. She’s also been dogged by accusations of staff mistreatment (she’s denied them). “We’re supporting Janelle Bynum and we’ll see what happens after that primary,” DCCC chair Rep. Suzan DelBene (D-Wash.) told reporters last Friday at an event hosted by the Christian Science Monitor. DCCC spokesperson Dan Gottlieb said in a statement: “Janelle has already defeated Lori Chavez-DeRemer twice before – and we're hopeful she'll have the opportunity to do it again in 2024.” McLeod-Skinner defended her track record on the campaign: "I’ve been in every corner of our district, meeting voters and talking about the issues that matter most to them, including defending abortion rights, protecting our air and water, and getting big corporations out of politics.” — Nicholas Wu and Daniella Diaz, with assists from Madison Fernandez and Jessica Piper
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