Francesca Hong’s Loss Is Both a Blessing and a Curse for Progressives

Her loss in Wisconsin and Abdul El-Sayed’s near-defeat in Michigan suggest that Democratic voters in swing states may be wary of nominating progressives.

The progressive momentum of the summer has stalled. Francesca Hong’s surprising loss in Wisconsin’s gubernatorial primary on Tuesday, following the unexpectedly narrow victory of Michigan’s Abdul El-Sayed last week, calls for a reassessment of the state of Democratic voters. They might be frustrated with the party establishment, but they still appear to be cautious about fully embracing progressives, particularly in swing states.

The primaries in New York and Colorado, where three House incumbents were unseated and other more establishment and center-left candidates were defeated, suggested that Democratic voters were moving both ideologically leftward and away from heeding the guidance of party leaders. In those states and others, candidates backed by Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, and the Democratic Socialists of America were winning and beating opponents supported by House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and others from the party’s center-left wing.

But shifting to the Midwest introduced two other elements to these contests: more conservative electorates and electability considerations. While I don’t have data to prove this, I would assume that the average Democrat in Michigan or Wisconsin is less progressive than in the New........

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