After a Spicy Primary Night, Who’s Winning the Fight for the Democratic Party’s Future?

The day after an election can sometimes feel a little disorienting. We can all Google who won, but why and what it means remain up for debate. Last night’s Democratic primary elections for Congress in New York, Maryland, and elsewhere are no exception. Progressive victories in New York City have gotten the most attention, but the story gets more complicated as you zoom out. Here’s what you need to know.

So why is everyone talking about NYC?

The Big Apple fancies itself the center of the universe (as a former resident, I think I’m allowed to say so). But voters there really did rebuke the Democratic Party powers that be, fueling lefty victories in three closely watched races. Former city Comptroller Brad Lander unseated Rep. Dan Goldman in a district that spans lower Manhattan and parts of Brooklyn. State Assembly member Claire Valdez beat Brooklyn’s borough president for a newly open House seat. And Darializa Avila Chevalier, a Ph.D. student and first-time candidate who has supported abolishing prisons and once tweeted “Fuck Kamala Harris,” ousted five-term Rep. Adriano Espaillat.

What do the three winners have in common?

For one thing, they’re almost certainly headed to Washington this fall because of how overwhelmingly Democratic their districts are. For another, they’ve harshly criticized Israel over the war in Gaza. And all were endorsed by Zohran Mamdani, the city’s Democratic Socialist mayor, burnishing his kingmaker bona fides.

So insurgent candidates surged? That doesn’t sound like a very complicated story to me.

Then allow me to complicate things. Elsewhere in NYC, the establishment prevailed. Rep. Ritchie Torres—a centrist, pro-Israel Democrat—handily won in the Bronx. Micah Lasher, an establishment wonk who has criticized some pro-Palestinian protesters, dispatched Kennedy family scion Jack Schlossberg in Manhattan. And in Maryland, which also held primaries yesterday, a state delegate named Adrian Boafo who got support from pro-Israel and pro-cryptocurrency super PACs claimed the Democratic nomination for a safe blue congressional seat.

I see a lot of progressives crowing. Were last night’s results just an ideological story?

Not quite; several races scrambled the usual moderate-vs.-progressive lines. Despite his establishment ties, Lasher supports Medicare for all. So does Espaillat, a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, who lost anyway. Valdez’s opponent was backed by New York’s progressive Working Families Party. And Lander went on TV today and called for Democrats to “build bridges between more progressive candidates and more moderate candidates.” But it’s true that some moderates are feeling burned. Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman called it “a banner night” for the “dirtbag left.”

OK, so what’s the big takeaway?

Some of the results are more proof that many Democratic voters are mad at their party’s current leadership. But others show how easy it is to cherry-pick narratives about who’s winning the party’s internal struggles. The messy reality is that the line between establishment, moderate, and progressive isn’t always so clear-cut. And we’re still only about halfway through primary season, so we’ll have to wait to see how those divides shake out.

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I hear you. But my big question is whether Democrats can win back the House in November. What did we learn about that?

Great question. Progressives have repeatedly failed to win general elections in the swing districts that actually decide House control. But lucky for Democrats, primary candidates with a better shot of unseating Republicans romped in those places last night. Cait Conley, an Army veteran who ran counterterrorism in the Biden administration, will face Rep. Mike Lawler, a vulnerable Republican, in New York’s Hudson Valley. And if November ends up being a blue wave, Christopher Gallant, another Democratic Army vet, could put Republican Rep. Nick LaLota’s Long Island seat in play.

And there we go! You’re all caught up on the election. It’s time for some fun. Allow us to offer:

A podcast that ends an ancient beef: On Slate’s ICYMI, host Kate Lindsay reveals she’s in an unspoken, decade-long Venmo feud, and then gets some expert help on bringing it to a close. Come for the drama, stay for a thoughtful discussion of how payment apps have changed our understanding of money.

An eye-witness account of a wild-yet-delightful military tradition: Every summer since the mid-1900s, Naval Academy students have climbed a grease-covered 21-foot slab of granite. Why? Well, it’s complicated. But it’s also amazing to see, and writer Pat Cassels graciously brings the rest of us along for the ride.

And of course, a good sports read for between World Cup games: We’ve entered the third round of the group stage, where matches are played simultaneously to discourage shenanigans. Tonight at 6 Eastern some big names are in action: I’m watching Morocco–Haiti, but you might choose Scotland–Brazil instead. South Africa–South Korea is at 9, as is Czechia–Mexico. If you happen to be attending a game, consider yourself lucky. Slate’s Nitish Pahwa spoke to fans who paid big for tickets—but never got them.

Finally, how to start your day off right: Our brand-new morning newsletter, Your Morning Slate, kicked off this week! Sign up here to get great recommendations and a quick tour of the best of Slate in your inbox. It goes great with coffee.

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That’s all for us. Thanks for reading! We’ll be back tomorrow.