Democratic Primaries Highlight Deep Party Divides in the Midwest

MICHEL MARTIN, HOST: Democrats are clear on the goal. They want to win back control of Congress this November.

LEILA FADEL, HOST: But throughout primary season, the party has faced high-profile divides over its future. Coming up, we'll ask the cheif political adviser to independent Senator Bernie Sanders about the divide among Democratic voters in the wake of primaries this month in three Midwestern states. We begin with an overview of the latest results.

MARTIN: NPR political reporter Elena Moore has been following it, and she's with us now. Good morning, Elena.

ELENA MOORE, BYLINE: Good morning.

MARTIN: So now that the Democratic primaries in Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin are over, what would you say is the key takeaway?

MOORE: Yeah. Well, for months, we've seen leftist candidates pull off upsets in a handful of solidly blue House districts, running on an antiestablishment message focused on affordability concerns. What made these races, Michel, notable is candidates were running on a similar message but putting it to a much broader statewide audience, and the results were mixed.

MARTIN: OK. So talk us through that.

MOORE: Well, let's start last week in Michigan, where Abdul El-Sayed defeated Congresswoman Haley Stevens in the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate there. El-Sayed pitched himself as a populist political outsider, and he had the backing of key progressives like Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. He drummed up a lot of enthusiasm. And heading into Election Day, the polls indicated he had a sizable lead, but that's not what the results showed. He won, but only by a single percentage point - a little over 15,000 votes. And, you know, make no mistake - a win is a win. But those results show how divided this party is. I mean, it was virtually a 50/50 split.

MARTIN: And it also shows that the polls are not that great in primaries - in state primaries, we're saying. Let's be clear on that. OK. And this week, there was another race where this dynamic played out - the Wisconsin governor's race. What happened...

MOORE: Right.

MARTIN: ...There?

MOORE: Yeah. I mean, this was another really close race, decided by less than 4,000 votes. Ultimately, the establishment pick, Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley, narrowly defeated state Representative Francesca Hong, a self-described democratic socialist.

And people had been comparing Hong's candidacy to El-Sayed in Michigan, but there were some key differences. I mean, for one, Hong had fewer endorsements from national progressives. She also faced criticism for past comments supporting things like defunding the police and abolishing prisons, positions other leftist candidates have avoided. So running on this antiestablishment message may be politically popular right now, but the messenger still matters, too.

MARTIN: And let's go to Minnesota now. What stands out there?

MOORE: Well, it was an example that, you know, this intraparty fight is manifesting in different ways, right? Like, take the Democratic primary for Senate there, where we saw the state's lieutenant governor, Peggy Flanagan, decisively beat Congresswoman Angie Craig. And Flanagan established herself as the more progressive candidate. But in the end, one of the big things that defined this race was the issue of immigration. Specifically, Craig faced criticism over her vote for a bill that makes it easier for immigration officers to detain and deport people without legal status.

MARTIN: So where does all this leave Democrats as they start to shift from primary season to general election mode?

MOORE: Right. Well, the general election is all about growing your coalition. But that only matters if Democrats show up, and in full. It's clear these antiestablishment candidates are reenergizing a part of the base that has felt disconnected from the party in recent elections. But that could come at a risk of alienating other key parts of the base. And, Michel, when you're looking at tossup races this fall, Democrats can't afford to have any voter stay home.

MARTIN: That is NPR political reporter Elena Moore. Elena, thank you.

MOORE: Thank you, Michel.