‘They call us extreme, they call us radical,’ the progressive Senate candidate said. ‘But I think people see through that’

‘They call us extreme, they call us radical,’ the progressive Senate candidate said. ‘But I think people see through that’

It wasn’t supposed to be this way.

In conservative Florida, Alex Vindman – a retired army intelligence officer who blew this whistle on Donald Trump in his first term – appeared set to carry the Democratic establishment banner as the party staged a long-shot bid to topple a Republican US senator.

Florida’s Democratic voters had other ideas.

Democratic socialist Angie Nixon emerged a surprise victor in the US Senate primary on Tuesday, after a campaign in which she was outfunded and outspent by Vindman at a ratio of more than 10 to one.

  • Optional@lemmy.world
    12·
    5 hours ago

    It remains to be seen how attractive Nixon will be to Florida’s wider electorate in November. As Jewett notes, Florida is heavily populated by Hispanic communities, and Moody is certain to try to affix the “socialist” label to Nixon’s campaign that has long proven toxic at the ballot box for such voter groups.

    . . . Pollsters already appear to have concluded that Nixon’s primary victory has limited Democrats’ chances of taking the seat. Within hours of her fiery victory speech on Tuesday night, Sabato’s Crystal Ball, the respected analytical wing of the University of Virginia’s Center for Politics, moved the Florida Senate race from “likely Republican” to “safe Republican”.

    . . . Her supporters are certain that will be possible. Among a flood of tributes to her on Tuesday night and through Wednesday were calls for unity, including from Vindman himself, who said: “I will be standing by her side in the fight against Ashley Moody. I hope you’ll join me.”

      • MJKee9@lemmy.world
        3·
        2 hours ago

        This attitude is a cancer to progressive reform. Vote for the candidate with the better policies and you will have progressive reform in this country. “Electability” is literally the only argument liberals have at this point for picking centrists over left flank candidates. If that argument actually had validity: the left flank candidate wouldn’t have won the primary; and the “electable” candidates would have previously won. Is there one centrist dem a majority of people even like?

      • 5318008@lemmy.ml
        4·
        2 hours ago

        The people voting in the primary are the people who would vote for a Democrat in the general… and this is who they chose.

        Who we trust more: the people who vote, or the establishment Democratic Party leaders?