Aug. 11 Primaries: Mixed Results For Progressives In Wisconsin And Minnesota

Tuesday saw yet another battle between progressives and moderates across several primaries. While progressives notched some notable wins, there was also a stunning loss in Wisconsin.

The New York Times reports that David Crowley narrowly beat progressive Francesca Hong to become Wisconsin’s Democratic nominee for governor. Hong had been the frontrunner throughout most of the campaign, with her victory seeming all but assured. Mandela Barnes even cited Hong’s dominance in polling as the reason for dropping out, though other controversies may have played into that decision. 

So what happened here? 

Well, Crowley had the endorsement of Gov. Tony Evers, who can’t run for reelection due to term limits. Evers is still very popular in Wisconsin and spent much of the last few weeks campaigning for Crowley. The Times notes there were concerns that Hong seemed unpolished during recent television appearances in the state. There’s also speculation that many Wisconsin voters didn’t really start paying attention to the campaign trail until the last few weeks. 

While Crowley did win, it was only by a margin of .5% as of this writing, which shows that there is genuinely an appetite for progressive politics in Wisconsin; they may just need a more effective messenger. Crowley will face Rep. Tom Tiffany, who is endorsed by President Donald Trump, in the general election this November. 

It wasn’t all bad news for progressives on Tuesday night. In Minnesota, Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan won the Democratic nomination in the state’s Senate race. Flanagan beat out the more moderate Rep. Angie Craig. Flanagan had the endorsement of Tina Smith (D-Minn.), the retiring senator she’s running to replace. Craig was narrowly polling ahead of Flanagan shortly before the election, so it wasn’t like her win was guaranteed. 

It’s not terribly surprising that a progressive won in Minnesota considering recent events. 

Minneapolis was the site of a prolonged occupation by ICE, which resulted in the deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti. Trump has also withheld federal funds from Minnesota, which probably doesn’t help the prospects of Republicans running for office in the state.

Flanagan will face former sportscaster Michelle Tafoya this November. While Minnesota hasn’t elected a Republican to the Senate since 2002, Tafoya hopes her name recognition may change that. 

In news that should warm all of our hearts, Mike Lindell, the MyPillow guy and staunch Trump ally, lost the Republican nomination for Minnesota governor to Lisa Demuth, speaker of the Minnesota House. Lindell has been one of the loudest voices denying the 2020 election and has been one of Trump’s day-one riders. Lindell’s loss adds to Trump’s mixed record this year in midterm endorsements. Demuth will face Sen. Amy Klobuchar in Minnesota’s gubernatorial race this November.

If the last year has provided any takeaway for the Democratic Party, it’s that, stay with me now, left-wing voters want left-wing policies. If the party spends more time engaging its base with economic policies as opposed to trying to engage Republicans who don’t like Trump, they may be surprised by how many elections they win. 

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Progressives vs Moderates Showdown In Minnesota, Wisconsin Primaries

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