Representative Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) plans to campaign with Democratic challengers of two Jewish House members, Representatives Jared Moskowitz (D-FL) and Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL). Tlaib, a member of the Democratic Socialists of America, will join Oliver Larkin, who is running against Moskowitz, and Elijah Manley, who is opposing Wasserman Schultz, at a rally in Fort Lauderdale on Friday. The event is organized by the Miami DSA, Gen Z for Change, the Florida Youth Justice Coalition, and Broward County DSA, and aims to encourage voter turnout.
Tlaib, the first Palestinian American woman in Congress, has faced criticism for her remarks regarding Israel and the Holocaust, including a 2019 interview where she stated that thinking of the Holocaust gives her a "calming feeling." In 2023, she was censured for her comments related to the war in Gaza following the October 7 attack by Hamas.
In a recent post on social media, Tlaib stated that the phrase "from the river to the sea" represents a call for freedom and coexistence, not violence. Wasserman Schultz condemned this statement, asserting that it implies the eradication of Israel and Jews. Both Moskowitz and Wasserman Schultz are facing competitive primaries due to recent changes in Florida's electoral map, with Moskowitz moving from the 23rd District to the 25th District and Wasserman Schultz contesting in the newly drawn 20th District, which has a majority-black and heavily Democratic electorate.