AOC’s pick in Democrat primary for House seat beats incumbent

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Rep. Daniel Lipinski, D-Ill., a rare anti-abortion House Democrat, has lost his party’s primary race to challenger Marie Newman, a small business owner endorsed by far-left Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y.

Newman challenged Lipinski in 2018 and was edged out in a close primary race, but this time she managed to narrowly defeat the incumbent congressman, who has represented Illinois’ third district since 2005.

JUSSIE SMOLLETT PROSECUTOR WINS PRIMARY

“This is a Democratic district. Let’s have a Real Democrat fighting for us,” Newman tweeted Monday, including infographics showing how Lipinski’s past votes against Obamacare and for restricting access to women’s reproductive healthcare are at odds with her own support for universal healthcare and greater access to abortions.

The win all but assures that Newman, 55, will take over the seat that Lipinski’s father held for nearly three decades before he retired after the 2004 primary and local Democrats chose his son to replace him on the general election ballot.

Newman, a former management consultant who started and led an anti-bullying nonprofit, argued Lipinski no longer reflected the views of the district, which backed Sen. Bernie Sanders, a democratic socialist, over Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential primary.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., endorsed Newman back in September. She told the New York Times that Newman is "a textbook example of one of the ways that we could be better as a party — to come from a deep blue seat and to be championing all the issues we need to be championing."

Lipinski, 53, opposes abortion rights and voted against the Affordable Care Act, President Barack Obama’s 2010 health care overhaul.

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“What a journey,” Newman said in a statement her campaign released Tuesday night. “I am bursting with pride and gratitude for the amazing coalition who helped bring about much needed change in our district. We are going to work together to lower healthcare costs, to fight climate change, and to continue building a hospitable community for everyone, no matter where you come from.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report