Influential group behind AOC’s victory seeks to oust L.A. Democratic congressman

Introduction to the Challenge

The group behind Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s shocking 2018 victory in New York is looking west for its next fight. Justice Democrats — the influential left-wing PAC known for helping Ocasio-Cortez and other progressives oust Democratic incumbents — is backing a primary challenge to Democrat Rep. Jimmy Gomez, a four-term congressman representing a staunchly Democratic Los Angeles district.

The Endorsement

The group endorsed Angela Gonzales-Torres on Thursday, characterizing the 30-year-old Highland Park resident as a fighter willing to take on not just the Trump administration, but also corporate interests in the Democratic establishment. The group also cited the millions of dollars that the American Israel Public Affairs Committee spent in support of Gomez last cycle. The powerful pro-Israel lobby’s standing among Democrats has become a flash point amid broader internecine conflict in the Democratic Party over Israel’s unrelenting war in Gaza.

The Candidate

Gonzales-Torres, a community activist and former president of the Historic Highland Park Neighborhood Council, said her worldview and advocacy were shaped by her childhood in the district, facing housing insecurity and being raised by a single mother after her father was deported to Mexico. She criticized Gomez — who is also the child of working-class Latino immigrants — as no longer being rooted in the community and accused him of being beholden to the outside special interest groups who have heavily backed his previous campaigns.

The District

Gomez, a former state legislator and union organizer, was first elected in a special election in 2017 and reelected to a full term in 2018. He represents a majority-Latino urban district that stretches from Koreatown through Pico Union to Highland Park, Eagle Rock and East L.A. California’s 34th District is overwhelmingly composed of renters and includes some of the most densely populated working-class neighborhoods in the country, as well as some of the most rapidly gentrifying sections of Los Angeles.

Previous Challenges

Gomez successfully fended off challenges from David Kim, a progressive Democrat targeting him from the left, in 2020, 2022 and 2024. Kim has endorsed Gonzales-Torres and does not plan to run for a fourth time. “I think that Angelenos want to see change. And what we are seeing is our current Congress member accepting $2.3 million from AIPAC, then failing to co-sponsor the only bill calling for a ceasefire,” Gonzales-Torres said, referencing a resolution introduced in October 2023 that was supported by nearly 20 Democrats.

Justice Democrats’ Strategy

Justice Democrats rose to prominence after Ocasio-Cortez’s 2018 upset ouster of then-Rep. Joe Crowley. The then-28-year-old activist stunned the political establishment when she unseated the fourth-ranked Democrat in the House to represent a New York district that includes parts of the Bronx and Queens. Her victory was a shot in the arm for a nascent activist left. Justice Democrats backed other insurgent members of “the Squad,” such as Reps. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts and Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, and have frequently targeted moderate Democratic incumbents from the left.

The Incumbent

Gomez is far from a moderate: The Eagle Rock resident has more in common with the Justice Democrats slate than many of the members they have previously tried to unseat. At 50, he’s too old to be categorized as a millennial, but still far younger than the septuagenarians and sexagenarians ousted by some of Justice Democrats’ current and former candidates. Nor is he a white incumbent representing a district that is now majority-minority, as was the case with representatives ousted by other members of the slate. Gomez supports the Green New Deal and Medicare for all.

Conclusion

The battle for California’s 34th District could very well become a proxy war between AIPAC and the activist left flank of the Democratic Party, which characterizes the war in Gaza as a genocide and AIPAC’s influence in the party as existentially toxic. With Justice Democrats entering the fray, the group is targeting incumbents again in favor of working-class progressives who will shake up the status quo. Gonzales-Torres is their second endorsement of the 2026 cycle, and Gomez is the first California Democratic incumbent they have targeted following their rise to prominence in 2018.

FAQs

1. Who is Justice Democrats backing in the primary challenge to Rep. Jimmy Gomez?
   Justice Democrats is backing Angela Gonzales-Torres, a 30-year-old community activist from Highland Park.
2. What is the main issue that Justice Democrats has with Rep. Jimmy Gomez?
   Justice Democrats has criticized Gomez for accepting millions of dollars from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) and failing to co-sponsor a bill calling for a ceasefire in Gaza.
3. What is the demographic makeup of California’s 34th District?
   The district is majority-Latino and overwhelmingly composed of renters, with some of the most densely populated working-class neighborhoods in the country.
4. Has Rep. Jimmy Gomez faced challenges from progressive Democrats before?
   Yes, Gomez has successfully fended off challenges from David Kim, a progressive Democrat, in 2020, 2022, and 2024.
5. What is Justice Democrats’ strategy in targeting Rep. Jimmy Gomez?
   Justice Democrats is leveraging its network and small-dollar donors to raise money for Gonzales-Torres and help her beat Gomez in the primary.