The primaries and special elections in the two states were among the last to be held before the country enters the sprint to the general election, and offer some final clues about the political landscape heading into the fall. Here are five suggestions from New York and Florida:
Democrats are making a safe choice to run against DeSantis
Looking at the possibility of four more years for Ron DeSantis in the governor’s mansion, Florida Democrats turned to a familiar face. Rep. Charlie Crist (D-Fla.), himself a former Republican governor of Florida, beat out state Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried on Tuesday for the Democratic nomination to face DeSantis in November, launching his second general election campaign for to regain his old office in Tallahassee in less than a decade. Heading into the heats, Crist appeared to have the lead over Fried. But his victory was still a blow to Florida’s only elected statewide Democrat and someone who had been heralded as the future of the state party. From the start of her gubernatorial campaign, Fried cast herself as “something new,” seeing herself as part of a new generation of state Democrats who could bring the race to DeSantis in November. But Florida Democrats ultimately chose the establishment favorite in Crist, who argued that his “happy warrior” personality and compromising brand of politics made him the best candidate to win over moderates and independents disenchanted with his combative style and cultural warfare rhetoric of DeSantis.
The Democratic establishment held its own
It was a good night for the Democratic establishment. In New York, Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney (DN.Y.), the Democratic House campaign chairman, prevailed in his primary against a progressive challenger. Former Rep. Max Rose (DN.Y.) fended off a challenge from his left, giving him a chance to reclaim his old House seat in November. And Daniel Goldman, who prosecuted the first impeachment case against former President Donald Trump, beat his primary progressive opponent, state Assemblywoman Yuh-Line Niou. A similar case played out in Florida: Crist, who had the support of Democratic incumbents, defeated Fried in the party primary, while Jared Moskowitz, a former state representative and Florida emergency management director, defeated five other Democrats for to win the nomination. to succeed retiring Rep. Ted Deutch (D-Fla.). Overall, Tuesday was a show of strength for the party establishment, even amid signs that voters in both parties are frustrated with their figures. As Democrats try to fend off a red wave in November, the primary results as a whole may just be a sign that voters aren’t ready to take a chance on less experienced candidates.
Special election in New York gives Democrats new hope
Republican Joe Czebolinski won a vacant West New York House district on Tuesday, keeping a seat for the GOP after former Rep. Tom Reed (RN.Y.) resigned earlier this year. His victory was, of course, a disappointment for Democrats. But it’s not all bad news for the party in power. Democrat Max Della Pia came closer than expected to an upset in the race. And Democrats scored an even bigger victory in a special election to represent New York’s 19th District, where Democrat Pat Ryan defeated Republican Mark Molinaro in a race that was seen as the pre-November shootout. Della Pia’s closer-than-expected defeat and Ryan’s narrow victory add up to the latest evidence that Democrats may be on the verge of regaining some lost momentum ahead of November’s midterm elections. The party has faced a poor political outlook so far this year, but with the Supreme Court’s decision earlier this summer to overturn Roe v. Wade, the seminal abortion rights case, Democrats have seen a burst of energy in recent weeks, growing their hopes of avoiding an electoral rupture this fall.
Maloney’s loss marks the end of a political era in Manhattan
Regardless of who won the Democratic primary to represent the Manhattan, New York-based 12th District, the race was set to end the political career of a heavyweight Democrat. In the end, it turned out to be Rep. Carolyn Maloney (DN.Y.). Maloney lost her primary Tuesday to Rep. Jerrold Nadler (DN.Y.). Both currently head powerful House committees — Maloney is the chairman of the Oversight and Reform Committee, while Nadler heads the Judiciary Committee — and both have served in Congress since the early 1990s. There was little animosity between Nadler and Maloney. The two members of Congress are ideologically similar and have a long history of working together. They were only dealt with as a result of New York’s redistricting process, which combined the cores of their Manhattan districts earlier this year. But Tuesday’s results ensure that Maloney will not return to Washington next year for the first time since 1993. Nadler, meanwhile, is virtually guaranteed another term on Capitol Hill given the district’s strong Democratic politics.
The highly contentious primary period gives way to the general election
The 2022 primary season isn’t over yet, with some states still waiting to pick their candidates for November. Calabasas celebrities among worst water wasters, water officials say GOP PAC splashes $1 million on ads linking Kim Schrier and Elaine Luria to Biden But the Florida and New York primaries saw some of the last big showdowns before the general election campaign gets under way in earnest and marked the beginning of the end of a particularly contentious primary season that saw incumbents battle incumbents, Democrats battle over the direction of their party, and Republicans are fighting over their loyalty to Trump. With the primaries nearly over, the focus will now turn to bigger questions: Can Democrats defy history and prevent a midterm mutilation, even as President Biden’s approval ratings sink to new lows? Can Republicans keep their base energized even without Trump on the ballot? And more importantly, which party do voters most trust to control Congress for at least the next two years?
