Since Democrats took control of the House of Representatives in 2018, the "squad" of freshman lefties — composed of Reps. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez, Ayanna Pressley, Rashida Tlaib, and Ilhan Omar — has gotten a great deal of media attention. But the Democratic leadership has been less impressed. "They're four people," Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi scoffed earlier this year.
However, these women will have some new allies in the next Congress. Thanks to primary victories in deep-blue districts, at least three more new members will be joining them. There is Cori Bush, a Black Lives Matter activist who won in Missouri's 1st district, Jamaal Bowman, a former middle school principal who won in New York's 16th district, and Mondaire Jones, a former attorney who won in New York's 17th district. The first two also ousted longtime incumbents.
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