‘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
    161·
    12 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
        10·
        8 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
        13·
        9 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?

        • ArbitraryValue@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
          27·
          7 hours ago

          Ashley Moody, the Republican candidate, was elected by a 21-point margin last time. If only the people voting in the Democratic primary vote for the Democrat in the general election, the Democrat definitely loses. So yeah, in this case I trust establishment leaders to do what might have won the election. Vindman still probably would have lost, but at least he had a chance.

          • crapwittyname@feddit.uk
            4·
            6 hours ago

            It’s democracy, not football. Representation matters more than the colour of the shirt on the winner.
            If the entire Democrat party shifts to the right, who represents the left? What’s even the point of the Dems winning if they’re just a bunch of MAGAts in blue ties?

              • crapwittyname@feddit.uk
                4·
                4 hours ago

                Ok. That’s fair. But Vindman is obviously to the right of the Democratic voter base, so he would’ve dragged the party further to the right than the people the Democrats are supposed to represent. That is a problem. And for the past few decades, we’ve seen western democracies drift to the right as a result of this mechanic. Now, we have proto-fascists in high office. That needs to stop.
                Elections need to be fair.