
Justice Democrats-backed activist Rana Abdelhamid challenges Rep. Carolyn Maloney in New York
CNN
Activist and nonprofit founder Rana Abdelhamid on Wednesday launched her Democratic primary challenge to Rep. Carolyn Maloney in New York's 12th congressional district, marking the third straight election in which Maloney, who has been in Congress since 1993, will face intense opposition from party progressives.
This time, though, the field will include a candidate with the support of Justice Democrats, the group that spearheaded the campaigns of incumbent-ousting leftist New York Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in 2018 and Jamaal Bowman in 2020. Abdelhamid is the second Justice Democrats-backed candidate of the 2022 midterm cycle, following last week's announcement that Nashville-based activist Odessa Kelly was running to unseat longtime Tennessee Democratic Rep. Jim Cooper. Maloney's diverse, heavily Democratic district has one of highest levels of income inequality in the state and country. Abdelhamid comes from a working class, immigrant Muslim family in Queens and, in a statement kicking off her candidacy, accused Maloney -- the chair of the House Oversight Committee -- of failing large parts of the sprawling district.More Related News