Democrats nominate established candidates; gain new traction on abortion
Taken together, the results were a welcome sign for Democratic leaders seeking to rally the party base behind its incumbents and find ways to motivate voters to cast ballots against Republicans, who have long felt well-positioned to make big gains in November. Tuesday’s voting came on the heels of Democrats enacting sweeping legislation to fight global warming and bring down the cost of prescription drugs for seniors, among other things, boosting their hopes of averting a red wave in the fall.
In Florida, Rep. Charlie Crist, who was endorsed by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, prevailed over a more liberal female candidate in the Democratic primary for governor. In New York, Rep. Jerrold Nadler, who won a last-minute endorsement from Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer, beat out an experienced woman and a younger candidate of color. And Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney, chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee easily triumphed over an insurgent liberal challenger.
“Tonight, mainstream won,” Maloney said in his victory speech. “Common sense won. Democrats want candidates who get results and bring home the win.”
Democratic party leaders were also encouraged by the special election in New York’s 19th Congressional District, where Ulster County Executive Pat Ryan, the Democratic candidate, made abortion rights the cornerstone of his winning campaign against Republican Dutchess County Executive Marc Molinaro.
“We got in this race because the foundations of our democracy were and remain under direct threat,” Ryan told supporters in Kingston, shortly before midnight. “When the Supreme Court ripped away reproductive rights, access to abortion rights, we said: This is not what America stands for.”
Tuesday’s voting in Florida, New York and Oklahoma marked the conclusion of some of the year’s final major contests before both parties fully begin the sprint to the Nov. 8 election. That pivot is already underway, with Democrats seeking to tap into anger over the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade as a means of overcoming voter dissatisfaction with Biden and his party’s leadership in Washington.
Republicans have run heavily on rising prices and crime on Democrats’ watch. They were also deciding intraparty contests Tuesday, many of which featured election deniers and candidates embracing Donald Trump’s divisive rhetoric and false claims. Some in the party have voiced worries that the presence of the former president and his polarizing positions could complicate the GOP push to win back control of Congress.
Democrats nominate established candidates; gain new traction on abortion