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Democratic voters are sending mixed signals about where they want the party to go next, but have made it clear they are energized and eager for change.<\/p>\n
In Wisconsin \u2014 a perennial battleground \u2014 far\u2011left enthusiasm fueled strong turnout but collided with a Wednesday morning reality check. Francesca Hong, a Democratic socialist who appeared to have momentum heading into the gubernatorial primary, narrowly lost to Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley after concerns about some of her past far\u2011left comments took some of the air out of her campaign.<\/p>\n
Mr. Crowley, who briefly exited the chaotic primary before reentering with the explicit backing of outgoing Gov. Tony Evers, centered his campaign on general\u2011election viability.<\/p>\n
For party pragmatists, Ms. Hong\u2019s razor\u2011thin defeat underscored lingering fears that far\u2011left rhetoric and policies could prove fatal against Trump\u2011aligned Republicans in November, jeopardizing the party\u2019s chances of flipping control of Congress and governors\u2019 mansions across the country.<\/p>\n
It was a different story in Minnesota, where Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan delivered a win for the party\u2019s insurgent wing. She captured the Democratic Senate nomination after tapping into frustration with both President Trump and a status quo that the left says has favored corporate elites over working\u2011class families. The state saw record primary turnout.<\/p>\n
The dueling outcomes followed another ideological clash in Michigan, where liberal favorite Abdul El\u2011Sayed narrowly defeated establishment\u2011backed Rep. Haley Stevens last week in a bitterly contested Senate primary. The state also saw high turnout.<\/p>\n
SEE ALSO: Left wing of Democratic Party wins showdown Senate race in Minnesota<\/p>\n
\u201cThe through line between these races isn\u2019t ideology. It\u2019s impatience with this political system that feels disconnected from the urgency voters feel,\u201d Lis Smith, a national Democratic strategist, told the Associated Press. \u201cThe demand for change is much broader than the demand for socialism.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sen. Bernard Sanders of Vermont, who backed Mr. El\u2011Sayed and Ms. Flanagan, said the results reflect a broader transformation underway inside the Democratic Party, pointing to recent liberal victories in Colorado, New York and Pennsylvania.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat we are seeing is that people are sick and tired of establishment politics and establishment policies,\u201d Mr. Sanders said, arguing that the string of insurgent wins shows voters are demanding a different direction.<\/p>\n
For others, the primary results boiled down to the better candidate winning, not intra-party warfare over how far left Democrats should go.<\/p>\n
Democrats now have just over 80 days to try to iron out the ideological schisms aired out in the party primaries and unite behind their candidates. Those candidates include Ms. Flanagan and Mr. El\u2011Sayed, who challenged the party\u2019s traditional orthodoxy on Israel and campaigned on promises to pass Medicare for All and to abolish Immigration and Customs Enforcement.<\/p>\n