No Clear Direction for Wisconsin Dems  08/12 06:33

   

   (AP) -- In a race that showcased Democrats' struggle between the ideological 
left and center, Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley managed a razor-thin 
victory over his democratic socialist challenger. The race was so close that 
neither side could claim a decisive victory.

   In other contests, experience was rewarded in two governors' races and 
voters went for generational change in voting out a House incumbent.

   For Republicans, a contest to replace the late Sen. Lindsey Graham pitted 
his sister, Darline Graham, against far more experienced candidates. But she 
also had the endorsement of President Donald Trump, and she secured a spot in a 
runoff election later this month.

   Here are some takeaways from the night's elections.

   In Wisconsin, verdict anything but clear for Democrats' direction

   Crowley eked out a stunningly narrow, surprise win that did not become clear 
until the predawn hours of Wednesday, but that seemed to settle little in the 
party's national battle between party establishment candidates and an 
insurgent, populist movement from the left.

   Crowley's win by less than a percentage point over state Rep. Francesca 
Hong, a democratic socialist, showed neither side of the party debate was 
winning the argument convincingly.

   A week earlier, Michigan's Democratic primary for an open U.S. Senate seat 
came down to roughly 15,000 votes -- a margin of a percentage point -- as 
progressive candidate Abdul El-Sayed edged four-term U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens, 
who had the support of Michigan governor Gretchen Whitmer.

   In both Midwestern battleground states, presidential elections have been 
decided by tiny margins in recent cycles, making midterm statewide elections 
proxies for the 2028 race for the White House.

   Trump won Wisconsin in 2024 and its state legislature has long been in the 
hands of the GOP, but Democrats have been bullish about reversing that trend. 
The pressure will now be on Crowley to knit together the divergent wings of the 
party against Republican Rep. Tom Tiffany in November.

   Democrats in neighboring Minnesota weren't as torn. They solidly supported 
progressive Lt. Gov Peggy Flanagan over centrist Rep. Angie Craig. But there 
are obvious differences -- Minnesota has been reliably Democratic for several 
elections, albeit by smaller margins. And Flanagan has already won statewide 
elections before.

   Nonetheless, Republicans are hopeful the divisive, bitter primary gives 
their candidate, sportscaster Michele Tafoya, a chance in November.

   Family name + Trump nod = runoff spot for Graham in South Carolina

   Darline Graham advanced to a runoff Tuesday night in the primary for her 
brother's seat. She was appointed to fill the remaining months of his current 
term after his death last month. While little was known about her, the family 
name and the goodwill toward her brother propelled her candidacy.

   Trump then endorsed her in the GOP primary to occupy the seat for the next 
six years. He also praised her Tuesday night after returning to Washington. The 
role Trump chooses to play in the next two weeks could be decisive in a state 
where he is quite popular.

   A who's who of conservative South Carolina politicians also competed for the 
rare prize of a Senate seat, and Rep. Ralph Norman, a durable conservative who 
finished second, will face off against Graham in two weeks. Both candidates 
will need to consolidate votes from the other challengers to win.

   Another veteran Democrat goes down in race over generational change

   Connecticut Rep. John Larson became the latest Democratic stalwart to lose 
his primary. The 78-year-old, who served 14 terms in the House, was defeated by 
former Hartford mayor Luke Bronin.

   Larson's loss didn't have the ideological overtones that have dominated some 
other Democratic House primaries, where younger, socialist candidates ousted 
veteran House members in Denver and New York City. But there was a definite 
generational cast, with his 47-year-old challenger arguing voters deserved a 
different choice in the overwhelmingly Democratic district.

   Larson is the 10th member of the House to lose a primary this year, in a 
sign of bipartisan fury with each party's veterans.

   While that tally includes three Republicans, the rest are Democrats. After 
Joe Biden's collapse during the 2024 presidential election -- and the deaths of 
four Democratic House members over the past 18 months -- it's clear that 
Democratic voters are casting a very critical eye on elderly party members.

   Minnesota Republicans reject MyPillow founder, a Trump favorite

   Trump backed MyPillow founder Mike Lindell's campaign for his party's 
nomination for Minnesota governor. Lindell has been a prolific peddler of lies 
about American elections, including Trump's own false claims that fraud cost 
him the presidency in 2020. Lindell has claimed that elections in the United 
States have been "rigged" for decades.

   Democrats were eager to have Lindell at the top of the ticket, hoping he'd 
drag down the entire state GOP. Instead, Minnesota Republicans chose a more 
traditional nominee, House Speaker Lisa Demuth.

   It's yet another loss for Trump in Republican governors' primaries, after 
his preferred candidates fell short in Georgia and Iowa. And it improves 
Republicans' odds in Minnesota in what's shaping up to be a difficult year for 
the party, especially after Trump's immigration crackdown roiled the state's 
biggest city in January.

   Experience and resume still mattered in some races

   While much of this year's midterm campaign cycle has been animated by new 
candidates with provocative progressive messages and by the fact that being an 
incumbent seemed like a liability, Democratic voters in Connecticut and 
Minnesota gravitated toward the familiar in their respective choices for 
governor.

   Connecticut's two-term Gov. Ned Lamont defeated his progressive challenger 
in the state's Democratic primary while Sen. Amy Klobuchar, who first won her 
seat 20 years ago, easily won her state's nomination for governor.

   Their victories ran counter to any trend toward younger, more progressive 
candidates who had scored surprising wins in several House primaries, and 
notably, in the Democratic Senate primary in Michigan last week. Lamont began 
his political rise as an insurgent challenger to incumbent Sen. Joe Lieberman 
but is now considered establishment. Klobuchar has a reputation as a bipartisan 
consensus-builder.