Results were still trickling out in an agonizingly close race between two candidates in the Democratic primary for governor of Wisconsin early on Wednesday, leaving unsettled a rancorous battle between the party\u2019s ascendant left and its old-guard moderates that has defined primary season this year.<\/p>\n
David Crowley, the Milwaukee County executive and standard-bearer for moderates in the race, exceeded all expectations by remaining neck and neck with State Representative Francesca Hong, a democratic socialist who built a supercharged campaign of energized supporters and overwhelmingly led in most public polls.<\/p>\n
Other races were called before midnight. Here are eight takeaways from Tuesday\u2019s long night.<\/p>\n
A photo finish for governor in Wisconsin spells trouble for progressives.<\/p>\n
Over weeks, polls established Ms. Hong, a democratic socialist, as the clear front-runner. But Mr. Crowley outperformed expectations on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
With the results still too close to call early on Wednesday, it was clear that, for the second consecutive week in a Democratic primary, a democratic socialist was not winning by as big a margin as predicted. Last week in the Democratic Senate race in Michigan, Abdul El-Sayed defeated Representative Haley Stevens in a closer-than-expected contest that was not called until the next morning.<\/p>\n
Francesca Hong had her flaws as a candidate\u2026<\/p>\n
Ms. Hong was the subject of a string of bad headlines in the final days of the campaign, including some over past remarks she made online. Those comments included her derision of Thanksgiving and other holidays, which she walked back.<\/p>\n
The negative publicity could have been a bridge too far for some voters, especially if they made their choices in the final days of the campaign. In addition, some of the biggest national names in progressive politics, including Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, sat out the race.<\/p>\n
\u2026but benefited from a strong field operation.<\/p>\n
Ms. Hong spent more time campaigning in rural Wisconsin than any other candidate, and it appeared to pay off, given how well she was doing in those parts of the state. Democratic socialists and other progressives have won a string of races on the strength of their ground games and populist left-wing proposals that are resonating with many voters. The old-fashioned takeaway? Showing up in person to make your case makes a difference.<\/p>\n
A progressive won the Democratic Senate primary in Minnesota.<\/p>\n
In another Midwestern race in neighboring Minnesota, the progressive lieutenant governor, Peggy Flanagan, won the Democratic nomination for Senate, notching a victory for the party\u2019s left wing. Ms. Flanagan\u2019s victory over Representative Angie Craig, who had far more financial resources, was a triumph for what some saw as a more palatable form of progressivism.<\/p>\n
Ms. Flanagan ran on a suite of progressive priorities \u2014 calling for universal health care, a higher federal minimum wage and an end to unconditional U.S. aid for Israel. She said she would challenge the Democratic establishment in Washington.<\/p>\n