Midwest Dems push ‘unity’ with socialist, moderate primary winners

(The Center Square) – With the wins of socialist, progressive and moderate Democrat candidates in recent midwestern primaries, top leaders in the party are embracing “unity” with the far-left wing of their party.

Former Detroit public health official and progressive candidate Abdul El-Sayed defeated U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens, D-MI., in the Michigan Senate Primary. 

State Sen. Mallory McMorrow, D-Royal Oak, also ran for the Senate seat, but dropped out weeks before the election.

Both Stevens and McMorrow were quick to endorse the candidate they both targeted for his views in the weeks before.

“What is most important now is that we recognize that for all of the differences we may have had in this primary, that those differences pale in comparison to the contrast that we face in November,” McMorrow said after the Senate race was called.

Among other top Democrats from across the country, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker has made calls to winning candidates in recent primaries.

“After an election I often call the victors and those who lost in the elections just to say ‘congratulations on your victory,’ or, ‘I went through an election where I lost some number of years ago. It's a hard thing to do.’ I always remind people who are losing in Democratic primaries as I did, it's really important to go and support the victor,” Pritzker said.

He said he wants Democrats to keep their eye on winning in the elections to win back a majority in Congress.

Pritzker wouldn’t go as far to back socialist candidates outright.

“I don't think it's a matter of ideological differences. I do think it's a matter of team fight versus team cave and I think the voters want people who are going to go to Washington and fight for them,” Pritzker said.

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Michigan isn’t the only midwestern state to embrace the party’s “unity” approach following their primaries.

Both in Minnesota and Wisconsin, the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party and Democrats respectively followed a similar playbook Wednesday.

Minnesota DFL U.S. Senate nominee Peggy Flanagan in Minnesota said in a statement that the party’s unity in their state would help Democrats earn a majority in the Senate, despite her party already holding both seats.

State Rep. Francesca Hong, D-Madison, a Democratic Socialist Wisconsin gubernatorial candidate, lost her race to the more moderate David Crowley, the Milwaukee County executive.

Crowley said this week he plans to do a “unity tour” with his more radical counterpart.

“We're going to be getting together relatively soon to actually start our unity tour,” Crowley said Tuesday night.

Crowley said later in the week to note that he wouldn’t be embracing some of Hong’s policies, such as a moratorium on data centers.

His general election opponent, U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany, R-Wi., said he would back widely bipartisan supported restrictions on data centers – including ending tax incentives, ensuring no rate hikes and heavier regulation on construction.

In many primary races, turnout for Democrats has been higher than anticipated. Pritzker attributed the turnout to Republicans choosing to take Democrat ballots this year.

“As to why progressives are winning in some places, and not, you know, maybe some in others, Democrats are seeing this huge turnout again because whoever it is that's articulating a message that they're going to go to Washington and fight for people,” Pritzker said.