A slate of insurgent progressives who hoped to ride to victory on the coattails of New York’s Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez mostly fell short on Tuesday. But their campaigns have put pressure on the “establishment” wing of the party, and will likely reverberate through November’s elections. Overall, female candidates – including one Democratic socialist – won the night. A slate of insurgent progressives who hoped to ride to victory on the coattails of New York’s Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez mostly fell short on Tuesday. But their campaigns – powered by young people, people of color, and left-wing heavy-hitters – have put pressure on the “establishment” wing of the party, a trend that will likely reverberate through November’s elections. In Michigan, one progressive insurgent – Democratic Ssocialist Rashida Tlaib – eked out a victory, while four others, including gubernatorial candidate Abdul El-Sayed and House candidate Fayrouz Saad, did not. (Notably, all three of these candidates are Muslim, and Tlaib will likely become the first Muslim congresswoman.) Both El-Sayed and Saad were beaten by female candidates with backing from major party institutions, including Emily’s List, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, and labor unions. Gretchen Whitmer, a former leader in the state Senate, has spent years growing political roots in Michigan and won the gubernatorial race with 50% of the vote, while Haley Stevens, a Democratic consultant who helped lead President Barack Obama’s auto task force, got a lift after Hillary Clinton recorded a rare, last-minute robo-call for her. Democratic activists say that El-Sayed, backed by Sen…. [Read full story]
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