In the 2022 midterms, the left flank in Congress continued to grow its ranks, with progressives Summer Lee in Pennsylvania and Greg Casar in Texas winning their elections to join “the Squad,” while incumbent Squad members all won reelection. Now, it looks like the progressive and socialist members of Congress will face steeper challenges in 2024: the American Israel Political Action Committee (AIPAC) is planning to spend at least $100 million to primary Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC), Rashida Tlaib, Ilhan Omar, Cori Bush, Jamaal Bowman, Summer Lee, and Ayanna Pressley. AIPAC is apparently targeting the group for its opposition to Israel’s brutal war on Gaza; all seven congressmembers have bucked Joe Biden and the rest of the Democratic Party to call for a cease-fire.

In East Texas’s newly drawn Seventh Congressional District, however, first-time candidate Pervez Agwan is taking the fight to AIPAC. The district, which includes part of southwestern Houston and surrounding areas, is currently represented by AIPAC-backed Democratic representative Lizzie Fletcher. Agwan, who has been endorsed by the Houston chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America, is vocally pro-Palestine — he is calling for an immediate cease-fire and an end to US aid for Israel. Agwan’s platform also includes support for Medicare for All, free college for all, and a “Green New Houston.” Jacobin recently sat down with Agwan to discuss his campaign, his ambitious platform, and his views on Israel and Palestine.