Bhavini Patel stands between Summer Lee and a second term in Pittsburgh congressional race
Published in Political News
If yard signs and a small sampling of Squirrel Hill Democrats are any indicator, Patel appears primed to win the neighborhood.
Judy Kenal, 67, said she "was extremely impressed with Bhavini's track record of community service." And the 14th Ward Independent Democratic Club, which backed Lee during her run for state representative in 2018 and again for Congress in 2022, decided recently to back the challenger.
Jane Louik, a club vice president who runs the election endorsement process, said an influx of new members in the six weeks before the vote — at least 120 people — has helped tilt the scales in favor of Patel. Louik said she personally supports Lee but has seen a great shift in thinking in the club in the weeks leading up to the vote April 23.
And Louik said the Patel endorsement is a bit more nuanced than the media is portraying it.
"I can't tell if it's more anti-Lee or if it's pro-Israel ... (because) some of the new members who want to elect Patel have some misgivings about (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu," Louik said. "I think there are a number of reasons."
Despite the attention in Squirrel Hill, it is just one neighborhood of a district that stretches well beyond the confines of Pittsburgh, out into the Mon Valley and the strip malls and suburbs of eastern Allegheny and western Westmoreland counties.
In some ways, Lee is trying to nationalize a local race, while Patel is trying to appeal to enough voting groups in the district to win, according to political observers.
A sampling of a few dozen voters across the district indicates many still want to do more research before voting, even if they're leaning one way or another.
But there are likely two major factions: a progressive base anchored in Pittsburgh and the immediate suburbs versus more moderate voters who may want to shift to a less polarizing, more moderate candidate.
Progressives tend to turn out heavily in primaries, politicos said. That means Lee will be difficult to beat, unless Patel can draw moderate voters to the polls.
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