Primary Season Is (Finally) Over. Here Are 5 Things We Learned.

All this is terrific. Now to some pressing concerns that will decide the elections in November. First, are women, younger people (Millennials), blacks, Hispanics registered to vote, and will they show up. Or, will we hear right after the election how the republicans succeeded yet again in 'losing' registrations of blacks, how women sat it out, and how Millennials were not bothered to vote? Second, the republicans with their tight embrace of everything Trump will be vulnerable in the coming weeks - what with Trump loyalists now trying to avoid jail time, and likely to sing. Can democrats bring a gun to a gunfight, and not shrivel like week old flowers at the systematic attack they will endure from the religious right (which Trump has mobilized very well), and the right wing hate machine (you know whom I mean). I.e., can they go for the republican jugular, without pretense of 'we are better than that,' or 'we go higher,' 'isn't this just so terrible?' Oh how the country would be different if Gore had torn into Bush for not serving, and Kerry had told Bush about "don't yap if you never showed up for duty." Third, will democrats who voted for candidates that did not make it through the primary, not throw a hissy fit, but come out to vote even if the person on the ballot is a democrat without a halo around her/his head? My fingers are crossed because the two years of Trump have provided us with a trailer of what is to come in the next six.

There is a lot of open speculation here for good reason. No one knows how badly Trump has alienated the voting stock that put him in power in 2016. Are the Democrats truly a threat to take the big prize, the House? Will Democratic voters show up? Apparently the dullards that voted for Trump are starting to recognize his serious shortcomings. Yes, the Democrats will vote in big numbers because they are afraid of a second straight GOP Presidential victory in 2020.

Looks like the primary results show again that you get what you pay for.

Democratic Socialists should proclaim themselves to be for Universal Legal Marijuana, College Loan Refinancing, Reduced College Tuition, Universal Healthcare, Free Trade and Reduced Tariffs. Most importantly they should CHANGE THEIR NAME to the "America First!" Party.

The only details or analysis that any of us should be concerned about is whether or not the Democrats will take the House and Senate on November 6, 2018. Any talk about 2020 is a distraction from what's right in front of us: the need to mount an opposition to Trump and his efforts to form a fascist state in the U.S. Wake up America.

I have to say, NYT, that as one of those foreigner types following domestic US news briefly, I was left a bit befuddled by your commentary. My main impression reviewing the headlines these past weeks was of Cynthia Nixon’s all-powerful popularity, appeal, qualifications and stateswomanship and how her opponent was the same old stuffed suit with dollars from Wall St poking out the waistline of his trousers. So, the latter’s electoral steamroller came as a mild surprise. Maybe I should read those articles better next time...

I am deeply concerned about the integrity of our voting systems and tallying methods. Electronic voting machines that use proprietary software, both with and without corresponding paper trails, do not provide the programmatic transparency and auditability to prevent manipulation of voting results. Proprietary electronic equipment for tallying paper ballots present similar risks for manipulation. With all the GOP noise about supposed voter fraud — and consequent GOP efforts to suppress voting rights — it is interesting that they have said virtually nothing about the vulnerability of our voting systems.

Good post overall, but I fear the characteristics of the types of Democrats nominated by region (claimed to be be a progressive south and a modestly left of center Midwest) isn't quite an accurate picture of the overall primary season. In the south, Laura Moser in Texas (a progressive) was crushed. Brianna Westbrook in Arizona (another progressive) was crushed. Kara Eastman (a progressive) won in the Midwest (Nebraska). Randy Bryce (a ironclad progressive) won in the Midwest too (Wisconsin). Other regions are mixed bags. In the Northeast, you have Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez who won, but Andrew Cuomo and Gina Raimondo easily sailed to their 3rd and 2nd terms, respectively. In the West, you have some progressive victories and some establishment victories. I feel a better revision would be noting that more progressive upset victories and near-victories happened in all corners of the country—in red districts, purple districts, and blue districts—but that the establishment still hung on to a majority of their seats.

Why do you say "Democrats thinking about 2020 and bolster either the primary candidate more focused on mobilizing democrats OR those determined to win back Trump voters.". The correct word is AND. Both are necessary. The Dems must have the Presidency and Senate to get sensible Supreme Court Justices. They must take state legislatures to avoid Republican gerrymandering.

Fear gets people to the polls, and the Republicans have become masters of fear. Intellectual arguments from Democrats cannot match the power of fear. What will we become after four more years of the same people in power?

This a really good summation of the issue. So easily readable with well placed sections/topics. Thank you!

If a progressive like Nixon can't be competitive in a New York gubernatorial race then that doesn't bode well for Democratic tickets in the south. For years left wing Dems have said if the party would run more Progressive candidates they would win more elections. They are. Guess what? The same people are now getting cold feet. They're trying to push the narrative that if they lose in Florida & Georgia it's because of racism. Race may play a small part in these elections but no where near what critics are implying. Truthfully these candidates are simply too far to the left in what are very conservative states. If Gillum & Abrams were Republicans they would win in epic landslides because they would get the conservative & black vote. Both candidates are on the wrong side on the majority of important issues that voters care about in these states. Gillum has come out for the abolishment of ICE. In Florida this is political suicide. For decades this state has had to grapple with illegal immigration & drug smuggling. Lawton Chiles was the last Democrat to hold this office barely squeaking by with a 64,000 vote margin in 1993. It's been that long. If a moderate can't succeed in Florida then what chance does a progressive like Gillum have? Both Florida & Georgia are ready to elect a moderate African American governor. But neither state is going to elect a progressive governor no matter what their ethnicity. The Democrats are trying to sell voters something they don't want.

"Republicans may yet keep their control of the House, with a powerfully funded, overwhelmingly negative campaign aimed at disqualifying Democratic challengers in swing seats." Isn't that exactly what the Democrats are doing? The bias is obvious and annoying. And how do you know what Independents are going to do? Millions of us weren't able to vote in the primaries and many are not impressed with what the Dems have to offer or lack thereof.

It is encouraging to see the Democratic party energized lets hope it lasts into November and much beyond. Whether a candidate is far left leaning or a centrist one thing is clear that the primary voters were not merely looking for candidates that faithfully voted the party line but who can think for themselves, pay attention to the needs of their district and more importantly LEAD.The Democrats for the last twenty years have been lethargic punching bags for the GOP. They have drunk from the same well as the Republicans poisoned by the oligarchs and bankers. We will see just how many have real spines and can stand up to trumps worst instincts, the Republicans certainly have not.

I learned that the NYT will write more about progressive candidates who lose after the race is over rather than give them publicity or provide full information on their platform. Specifically Cynthia Nixon.

What about turnout??? Were there significant changes in turnout vs past years? More new voters or not? This is mainly what matters.

Please stop using the rusty phrase "Rust Belt." No matter how convenient, there is not another part of the country that is couched in such a negative way. If you must rely on this tired turn of phrase, then let's be fair. I suggest, Hurricane Alley, Parch Belt, Quake Belt and Scorch States as options for the rest of the country.

Paperless electronic voting machines should not be allowed for any federal level office. Shure states have a right to conduct local elections, but way too much is a stake with hostile GOP backed foreign powers interfering in elections, hacking, reduced polling places for poor areas, etc. All federal elections should be vote by mail, audited and transparent. This is a civil rights issue. How dare votes be electronically counted by one or two people utilizing private corporate software!

I cannot get too exited over this prospect . As we have found in the last Election, we cannot afford to be complacent. My fear is that voters will be led by the polls, instead of the issues. Every vote counts and unless the Democrats can make sure that every Democrat, Independent and weary Republicans who are disenchanted with Trump get to the polls and vote, we will be just whistling in the wind. Take nothing for granted.

TheBetterDeal- 1. Affordable, High quality Education, Healthcare and Housing. 2. A more progressive tax system that pays for good government and at least provides a road map to a balance budget. 3. Peace in the world and our neighborhoods through community partnerships, dialogue and a commitment to seek justice and give a hand up to the needy. 4. Intelligent, humble, honest, hard working public servants who place the common good above individual gains. Start with these ideas and have discipline messaging and the Big Flip will occur.

In Florida primaries, Independents cannot vote, so there's no real way to accurately gauge voter trends. The Democratic Party has had a special/primary voter season that appears optimistic, but it's still unclear how those accurately those trends project until the actual election occurs. Forgive my metaphor mixing, but don't count gains in the House and Senate until they hatch.

Yes it is less than two months to November. It's time for the Democratic Party not to run against Trump but to run on change. Change from Clinton and her coterie, change from voters who want positive change and not negative change. The challenge will be that Americans are by and large resistant to change. If we don't change we fall further and further behind in what our citizens truly want and won't admit to.

Essentially what we learned (and what the 2016 proved) was that if you are a truly Progressive candidate that will be unequivocal and fearless in your positions and stances, that the not only would you garner the votes, but you would expand the base. (signing up more eligible voters) Even if you (the Progressive candidate) came up a little short, then you dramatically moved the incumbents that still won, over to our positions. (like Cuomo) All of this is going to carry over into the midterms where the excitement is palpable to take back Congress and the country to not make it ''great again'' for only a select few, but for all. Bring it on!

Essentially what we learned (and what the 2016 election proved) was that if you are a truly Progressive candidate that will be unequivocal and fearless in your positions and stances, that the not only would you garner the votes, but you would expand the base. (signing up more eligible voters) Even if you (the Progressive candidate) came up a little short, then you dramatically moved the incumbents that still won, over to our positions. (like Cuomo) All of this is going to carry over into the midterms where the excitement is palpable to take back Congress and the country to not make it ''great again'' for only a select few, but for all. Bring it on!

The working class still has not seen a raise (taking inflation into account) since the 1980's. The divide between the greedy rich and everyone else is continuing its path toward disaster. The majority of working people cannot save, retire, eat right, vacation, visit family, buy a car, get an education unless extreme stress is involved. The democrats need to understand that unions are needed and corruption needs to be dealt with. Their current focus on identity politics and trump bashing is just shuffling chairs on the deck of the Titanic. They need to get back to the working class and focus this. But they must get money corruption out of government before anything can be accomplished. Blue and red are bought off.

“There are 257 women running for House and Senate seats around the country — 197 of them Democrats” That’s a very strong indicator for how the election will turn out this November. Trump, the Women’s March, and the #MeToo movement have drawn more women into politics than I’ve seen in my 75 years. And the vast majority are Democrats. If the women get out and vote in large numbers, which they will, the House is well within reach of the Democrats.

What we learned The Democratic Party continuous its transition from workers party to the party of the high educated party Click here to see Piketty's data : http://piketty.blog.lemonde.fr/files/2018/09/Piketty2018BrahminLeft-768x... Left behind: Workers