Attorney Tahirah Amatul-Wadud’s challenge to longtime Rep. Richard Neal in next week’s Democratic primary for Massachusetts’ 1st Congressional District hasn't attracted quite as much attention as some other similar races, but the incumbent seems to be taking the contest seriously. During the pre-primary period (which the FEC defines as July 1 to Aug. 15), Neal spent $518,000 to win re-election in western Massachusetts’ safely blue 1st Congressional District, compared to just $57,000 for Amatul-Wadud.
While Amatul-Wadud hasn't raised much cash, her campaign has drawn some local notice, especially in the wake of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s defeat of Rep. Joe Crowley in New York two months ago. And indeed, there are some parallels here. Like Crowley, Neal is a powerful member of the Democratic leadership, and he would be in line to chair the Ways and Means Committee if Team Blue flips the House.
Amatul-Wadud, who would be one of the first Muslim women to serve in Congress, is, like many such challengers, trying to run to the congressman's left by emphasizing her own support for single-payer health care and debt-free education. Amatul-Wadud has also been trying to make the case that Neal hasn't been responsive to his district, an argument that helped Ocasio-Cortez beat Crowley. Neal hasn't spent much time attacking Amatul-Wadud, though he did criticize her for backing GOP Sen. Scott Brown over Democrat Elizabeth Warren in 2012, a decision Amatul-Wadud says she made because she was new to politics and now regrets.
Of course, as Amatul-Wadud herself readily acknowledges, there are limits to the comparisons. New York’s 14th District is an urban seat that's home to a Latino plurality; Massachusetts’ 1st is a rural district that’s about three-quarters white. New York also holds separate primaries for federal and state contests, which likely kept turnout low and helped Ocasio-Cortez because she needed to only win a relatively small pool of voters who were upset with the status quo and especially motivated to run out. However, Massachusetts which, like every state that isn't New York, holds its state and federal primary on the same day, which will likely bring out more casual voters who are much more familiar with Neal than they are with his opponent.
Neal also has had two months since Crowley's surprise defeat to prepare for a similar challenge. That may help explain why he’s spending money now to get his message out rather than taking any chances next week.
