Yesterday I did something brand-new and donated $25 to Summer Lee, my current representative in the US House. She’s up for reelection and facing a stiff challenge in next month’s primary. This is another Lab Table experiment, and I’m showing you my WHOLE TRAIN OF THOUGHT, in Q & A format. You can file today’s post under either Making Invisible Processes Visible or Michelle Invites You to Listen as She Overthinks!
tl;dr: Getting involved in a US House race—especially a contentious primary—can be a highly effective way to influence national politics…worth a try!
I thought you were doing research about calling our reps. ???
YES. And I still am. But (and I’m a bit dismayed it took until now to realize this): it’s great to try to change my reps’ minds. It’s greater to help elect reps I don’t have to fight with. Electing people who share my values is an upstream move, a work-smarter-not-harder move.
Mmkay. Why the focus on a national race, not a hyper-local one?
The presidential election and Israel/Palestine have got me thinking a lot about national issues right now. Dipping my toe into a US House race seems like a nice midpoint between local and national involvement.
Why US House, not US Senate?
I have three reps on national issues: my state’s two US senators, and my one representative in the House. My House rep, Summer Lee, is from my city, has offices here, and represents only (“only”) around 700,000 people, instead of the 13 million Pennsylvanians represented by each of my US senators. She is my nearest and most direct representative in the federal government.
And: representatives run for reelection every even year. !!! That means the powerful US House can be volatile—and local organizing can be potent. If constituents want new representation, we can agitate for it fairly often.
Your rep is still in her primary race. Isn’t it early to get involved?
Most House districts are gerrymandered—i.e., they’ve been cunningly mapped to ensure the continued dominance of one political party. In my district, barring an eclipse-related alien invasion, the Democrat will win the US House seat. So, most of the meaningful campaigning happens in the Democratic primary.
I want my representative to represent my values not only in Congress, but in the Democratic Party. I don’t want just Any Democrat in that seat; I want the Democrat who best shares my values. The general election is too late for anything but a general anti-MAGA vote; the real nuance happens in the primary.
Not all of us live in solid-blue districts. The Michigan district where I grew up is predictably Republican and is currently represented by a Republican who vocally endorses MAGA. The primary is crucial there, too: voters who want a non-MAGA Republican in that seat (or who would prefer a Democrat but pragmatically expect it to go red regardless) can and should support principled, anti-MAGA Republicans in the primary.
Why support Summer Lee?
My current rep, Summer Lee, is one of the most progressive members of the US House. She’s a member of “The Squad,” the unofficial consortium of eight newish, youngish House members—all people of color—who are advocating and voting to the left of more establishment Democrats.
Recently, this means she has been outspoken in her support for a ceasefire in Gaza and in her criticism of the Israeli government—even when the majority of the Democratic Party has supported Israeli military actions in Gaza. Partly because of this stance, she faces a strong, well-funded primary challenge from a more centrist, pro-Israeli-government Democratic opponent.
I do not want the US government in lockstep behind Netanyahu and the Israeli military. I want open and conscientious dialogue in the House. It makes sense to me that if some members of Congress vociferously prioritize our military alliances, others should vociferously prioritize our care for civilians in Gaza. Right now, fewer than a dozen of 435 members do the latter. I’m proud that my rep is one of them, and I want her to continue that work.
I have contacted my senators several times, urging them to call for a ceasefire in Gaza. Now I’m upping my game, tangibly supporting my rep who’s been calling for one all along.
(Also, not for nothing, the entire “Issues” section of Summer Lee’s website is FIRE.)
OK! Why money? Why not volunteering?
I might volunteer, too, and I’ll chronicle it, don’t you worry! But money does talk. My $25 is paltry, of course, but: when they’re pounding the pavement for bigger donations, candidates use data about their small donations to demonstrate constituent interest. Summer Lee doesn’t accept donations from political action committees; her campaign is funded by individuals and non-corporate groups, which I admire.
So, my $25 will help buy pens (I HOPE) or advertising or whatever, but it will also show larger donors that Lee has small-time supporters willing to help out…and show the Democratic Party that her beliefs have backing.
POSSIBLE ACTION STEPS FOR YOU, in various sizes
XS: Figure out who your current US House rep is
Enter your address (or a nearby address, if you’re a paranoid weirdo like me) at Common Cause, which will generate a list of every single one of your elected officials, from the president on down! Thank you for not assuming anything, Common Cause! You’re looking for your “U.S. Representative.” They’re up for reelection this year.
S: Learn a little about your current US House rep
Google their name and “campaign.” Spend a few minutes on their campaign website; read about their stances on both national and local issues.
M: Learn about who’s challenging your current rep in their primary
Google your rep’s name with “primary challenger.” Read an article or two; see what they’re up against. Maybe, like me, you’ll realize that you’re proud of your incumbent, and she’s in danger of losing her seat. Or maybe you’ll realize your incumbent is facing a challenger you’d much prefer. (Obviously, vote in the primary. You can find the date of your state’s US House primary here, in the “state primary” column. Pennsylvania’s is the earliest!)
L: Help your candidate of choice
If you’re like me, you remember multiple elections when you fervently wished after the fact that you’d done something to help when it still mattered. This is like the end of The Christmas Carol: IT’S CHRISTMAS TODAY! YOU DIDN’T MISS IT!! GO BUY A TURKEY!!! Sign up to volunteer—trust, they will contact you—or make a donation. It’s an experiment! Give it a shot!
How about you? Do you support reps? Does this idea make sense to you? Will you take on one of these action steps? DO YOU ALREADY KNOW ALL OF THIS STUFF AND THIS IS ALL VERY REMEDIAL? If so, I wish I’d had your civics teacher!
xoxo
Member discussion: