Veteran Chicago-area Democrat endorses Lipinksi challenger again

Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.) on Tuesday again endorsed Marie Newman, who is challenging Rep. Daniel Lipinksi in a Democratic primary for a second consecutive campaign cycle, according to the Chicago Tribune.

Schakowsky, an 11-term congresswoman, also endorsed Newman in 2018, though Lipinski pulled off a narrow victory.

{mosads}Lipinski, currently in his eighth term, has been a top target for progressives, who cite his record on LGBTQ and abortion rights, among other reasons, for opposing him.

“I am proud to stand with Marie. Her election helps Democrats build a party that is willing to take bold steps to bring affordable health care, including prescription drugs, protect and expand Social Security and Medicare, and raise the wages of working Americans,” Schakowsky said Tuesday in a statement.

Newman thanked Schakowsky, a vice chairwoman of the Congressional Progressive Caucus.

“Congresswoman Schakowsky has long led the fight for bold progressive action in Illinois, and I look forward to standing with her in Washington as we fight for policies that will truly improve everybody’s every day,” Newman said.

Lipinski previously beat Newman by just over 2,000 votes in the March 2018 primary for Illinois’s 3rd Congressional District.

Schakowsky endorsed her in 2018 as well, but the endorsement came in January of that year, months later in the cycle than in 2020. The primary is set for March 17.

Newman has received endorsements from several Democratic presidential candidates ahead of the primary as well, including Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Cory Booker (D-N.J.), as well as Rep. Lauren Underwood (D-Ill.), who became the youngest black woman to serve in Congress upon her election last year.