Dan Lipinski lost the IL-3rd congressional primary to business consultant and non-profit executive Marie Newman. Despite gaining the support of the DCCC, which unjustly froze out experienced consultants from helping Newman, Newman won with the support of progressive Democrats. Justice Democrats, a group that sprang forth from the 2016 Sanders campaign, NARAL, and Planned Parenthood notched a critical win over one of the last anti-abortion, anti-gay, pro-gun, and anti-Obamacare Democrats in the country. The seat, a D+6 seat, was safely in Democratic hands regardless of who won the primary.
Now COVID-19 depressed turnout all over Illinois. A few friends of mine on the north-side did not vote since Biden had it in the bag and the rest of their ballot was largely non-competitive. It may have depressed the older white voters in what’s left of the Bungalow Belt who reliably voted for a Lipinski in the seat since the days of the first Mayor Daley.
Newman, who attacked Lipinski from the left, nearly knocked him off in 2018. Her success in 2020 was due, at least in part, to COVID-19, as the Congressman’s base of moderate Democrats skews pretty old. Still, his defeat is a reminder that there’s not a lot of room in Congress for moderates these days, and there’s even less room in the Democratic Party for a politician who opposes abortion.
The only two staunchly anti-abortion Democrats left in the House are Collin Petersen in rural Western MN and Henry Cuellar in rural West Texas, who narrowly beat back a similar challenger. My own politics on this issue have shifted from a more moderate stance (against late term and federal funding) to a fully progressive one (for it at all stages and fully funded). I highly recommend the documentary Motherhood on Amazon Prime to see the human and economic disaster a country without reproductive freedom looks like, not just for women but for all of society.
While I still favor a Big Tent approach if only to keep the party competitive in places where voters would otherwise not be with us, the Southwest side and it’s adjacent suburbs are not one of them. This is a community that can finally have a real Democrat representing them. Something to celebrate in spite of the Covid chaos.
The best news of this election season.
I hesitate to call him a DINO, though. He was supported by the establishment of the party. Despite bucking the party on major issues, they continued to support him. If the party is backing you, it seems to be more than “in name only.”
The Henry Cuellar example seems even worse than Lipinski. At least an argument could be made that Lipinski aligns with the party on some issues, like some labor things. Cuellar was with Trump 75% of the time and helps to elect local Republicans. And while rural, the Cuellar district is solidly blue. It was a shame to see a young progressive woman of color lose. And again, the party backed Cuellar despite getting no loyalty back from him.
When people praise Pelosi’s political mastery, I remember things like how she expressed a hope for “a resounding victory” for Cuellar over his progressive challenger.
If Dems are winning in red districts, they can get a lot of slack. If they act like Lipinski and Cuellar in solid blue districts, it says a lot more about the party than it does these individual reps.
Politics is personal too. The DCCC tends to back incumbents rather than rocking the boat, but next time Newman will be the incumbent.
Yes, but what’s the rational for backing incumbents who regularly buck the party? I don’t get it.
If you break ranks on important stuff, there should be consequences from the party. If not, the party doesn’t stand for much . . . which is probably what explains it.
He’s probably a reliable vote when really needed and a vote for Pelosi to be speaker. The biggest knock on him is being anti-choice, but how many anti-choice bills are going to make it to the floor with Dems in charge anyway?
He wasn’t even a reliable vote for Obama in 2012. He deserves to go. So does Cuellar. Guys like Peterson and Manchin I give a pass to.
Yes. Unreliable moderates in red areas get some passes (but still deserve criticism from outside), the people who oppose signature Dem issues and are from blue districts should lose party support. Opposing the ACA or engaging in Stupak-Pitts bs should have been things that led to losing party backing. Same for working to elect Republicans in other seats, something Cuellar does. It’s exactly the type of leverage the party leadership should be using to move an agenda. “You want to mess around on this stuff? Fine. You won’t get party funds for reelection.” The GOP has no problem doing this.