Four takeaways from a huge primary Tuesday
Not every one of Tuesday’s primaries can be called yet, but the big trends are clear.
1. In Wisconsin, Democratic gubernatorial candidate Tony Evers secured more than 300,000 votes, enough to win the nomination, despite Francesca Hong's initial lead. This demonstrates that high Democratic turnout does not always favor left-wing candidates.
2. In Connecticut, former Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin defeated Rep. John Larson, marking the fifth defeat of an elderly House Democrat in a state that didn't redraw its districts. Larson's campaign suffered due to his reputation as an old-guard liberal who failed to adapt to the rising anger at "gerontocracy."
3. Trump has successfully helped Republicans win primaries, even in blue states. For example, Mike Lindell won a Republican gubernatorial primary in Minnesota, capitalizing on the state's rightward shift since President Trump's election. However, he failed in South Carolina, where Lisa Demuth, a Republican, won the secondary runoff.
4. Left-wing candidates are driving up Democratic turnout in primaries, but they are losing to centrist Democrats who are persuadable by traditional media. Minnesota's Lt. Governor Peggy Flanagan and former state senator Matt Little both triumphed in their parties' nominations despite their more progressive stances.
Written by urgent.news from Semafor's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
