Representative Richard E. Neal of Massachusetts, one of the Democratic Party’s most powerful committee chairmen, beat back a challenge on Tuesday from a progressive insurgent in a race that embodied the clash between the party’s leadership in Washington and a younger generation of activists on the left. Late Tuesday, Mr. Neal was leading Mr. Morse by about 20 percentage points. As chairman of the Ways and Means Committee, which has jurisdiction over the tax code and other legislation that raises revenue for the government, Mr. Neal was the most prominent target of progressive activists in Democratic primaries this year. Mr. Neal, 71, was endorsed by Nancy Pelosi, the speaker of the House, who has defended many Democratic incumbents against challenges from the left. Mr. Neal has been in Congress since 1989, the year Mr. Morse was born.

Source: New York Times September 02, 2020 01:44 UTC