"We Just Broke a Thick-Ass Glass Ceiling": Progressive Candidates Rack Up Some Big Wins – In These Times
This week brought some very welcome news for progressives in Illinois, while left candidates in New York saw more of amixed bag.
In Tuesday nights Democratic primary, state Rep. Delia Ramirez, co-chair of the elected officials chapter of United Working Families (UWF), defeated Gilbert Villegas in the newly redrawn 3rd Congressional District by capturing nearly 66 percent of the vote, capping off anight of victories for left-wing groups including UWF, the Illinois partner of the national progressive organization Working Families Party (WFP).
Ramirez, who was endorsed by Sens. Bernie Sanders (DVA) and Elizabeth Warren (DMA) along with national progressive groups including WFP, the House Progressive Caucus and Peoples Action, will face Republican Justin Burau, who ran unopposed in his partys primary, in the November general election. She would be the first Latina congresswoman elected from the Midwest, and is almost certain to win in the deep-blue district, which stretchesfrom Chicagos West Side deep into the citysuburbs.
We just broke athick-ass glass ceiling, Ramirez said at avictory party Tuesday night, continuing, the entire state of Illinois has made it loud and clear: its time for progressive, authentic goodgovernment.
Villegas, her opponent, benefitedfrom major outside spending from anow-familiar player: Democratic Majority for Israel, which has used its financial heft against progressives in races across the country and spent $157,000 against Ramirez. Villegas also was supported by acharter school committee, the National Association of Realtors, and Mainstream Democratsa Super PAC foundedby venture capitalist and LinkedIn co-founder ReidHoffman.
At aJune 18 rally, Sen. Sanders saidRamirez, has been achampion of working families in Illinois. As astate legislator, she has expanded Medicaid for all seniors regardless of legal status, has secured millions of dollars for affordable housing, and defended reproductive rights by codifying Roe v. Wade in Illinois. Ramirez had previously co-sponsored the Reproductive Health Act, which guarantees abortion rights to Illinois residents, and ran on aplatform of Medicare for All, cancelling student loan debt, union rights and other progressivepriorities.
Ramirez rejected all corporate donations, and was heavily outraised by her opponent. But outside groups like WFP spent big in herfavor.
This was unquestionably agood night for United Working Families, Emma Tai, UWFs executive director, told In These Times. With only one exception, all of our contested candidates triumphed and beat their primarychallengers.
Further down the ballot, Anthony Joel Quezada, aUWF-endorsed member of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), won his race for the Cook County Board of Commissioners, and will jointwo other UWF-affiliated commissioners, Brandon Johnson and Alma Anaya. The board, composed of 17 commissioners serving four-year terms, approves the countys budget and controls laws governing issues ranging from parks to public health andsafety.
For too long weve had absent leadership in the 8th district, Quezada said Tuesday night. Right now, in the midst of Covid, ahousing crisis, growing wealth inequality, and the threat of climate change, we said that we need to elect leadership that actually reflects our progressive values and is ready to fight for us. Quezada will be the first open democratic socialist to serve on the Cook CountyBoard.
Lilian Jimenez, who ran for Ramirezs statehouse seat, won the Democratic nomination for the 4th House District with nearly 80 percent of the vote in athree-person primary. Jimenez was endorsed by Ramirez, unions including the Chicago Teachers Union and Illinois SEIU, as well as the Chicago Tribunes editorial board, and she previously worked as alabor and immigration lawyer, directing the legislative fight to pass county-wide minimum wage and sick leavelaws.
Were in amuch more serious and rigorous phase of what it means to contest political power electorally, Tai noted. The upside of not having the element of surprise is that we have amuch deeper bench of people who know what it takes to contest seriously forpower.
It wasnt all good news for Illinois progressives, however. Kina Collins, the Justice Democrats-endorsed progressive who challenged longtime Rep. Danny K. Davis (DIll.), lost her race in Illinois 7th district. Davis received last-minute support from powerful establishment Democrats, including President Joe Biden and Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, who endorsedDavis last Sunday. Yet, despite the loss, Collins came far closer this round, claiming 45 percent of the vote as compared to the 14 percent she won in2020.
And incumbent progressive Rep. Marie Newman (DIll.) similarly lost her race to Sean Casten, after redistricting forced her into acontest with afellow sitting member of Congress. Newman also faced aflood of outside money which funded attacks on her campaign, as did Ramirez and other left-wingcandidates.
In New York, meanwhile, progressives saw both setbacks and victories in Tuesdays primaries. Aslate of seven insurgent challengers backed by the Working Families Party of New York and the New York Chapter of the DSA who ran against establishment incumbents in the New York State Assembly were mostly defeated, but no progressive incumbent lost their reelectioncampaign.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (DNY) endorsed the challengers, while New York Mayor Eric Adams lent his support to the incumbents. Sarahana Shrestha was the one candidate on the WFPs slate who won their race. The first-time candidate beat13-term incumbent Assembly-member Kevin Cahill, who represented the Hudson Valley town of Kingston. Shrestha, afirst-generation Nepalese-American graphic designer, ran on aplatform that prioritized climatejustice.
When Iannounced my run for the State Assembly last year, Iasked the people of District 103 to choose hope over fear, to put our collective imagination into what we stand to gain, and not just what we stand to lose, Shrestha said in astatement. This is just the beginning. Next, we must build on our common ground and bring people into the right direction we need not just for the Hudson Valley, and not just for New York, but for the wholecountry.
Outside spending from corporate interests was, as has become typical in the Democratic Partys fight between progressives and moderates, amajor factor. Shrestha alone facedat least $80,000in attack ads funded in part by real estate interests channeled through apair of Super PACs, Common Sense New Yorkers and Voters of New York. In total, the two PACs raisedat least $1 million from corporate donors, and spent heavily on mailers attacking the WFP slate over their alleged support for defunding the police. One mailer described Jonathan Soto, who once worked for Ocasio-Cortez and ran against 10-term incumbent Michael Benedetto in the Bronx, as a dangerous, reckless, socialist who was too extreme for theBronx.
A mailer targeting Samy Nemir Olivares, who challenged incumbent Erik Dilanthe son of state Sen. Martin Dilan, who DSA member and State Sen. Julia Salazar ousted in her tumultuousinsurgent 2018 campaignaccused Olivares of threatening publicsafety.
And Jeff Coltin, apolitical reporter for City &State NY, noted on Twitter that areal estate investment firm appeared to be pouring money into targeted Instagram ads supporting the incumbents against their progressive challengers. Committee for aFair New York, funded by Arel Capital, spent at least $50,000 shoring up moderatesa sizable sum in local races where candidates rarely raise more than one or two hundred thousanddollars.
The reason theyre pouring money into these races is because theyre afraid, because they know that we can win. We can seize the reins of these institutions and direct them to more just and redistributive ends, and they are very scared of that happening, Tai said. Thats the story behind the money pouring into ouropposition.
The outcome of Tuesdays races show both the challenges faced by the progressive electoral movement, with corporate money flowing into the coffers of centrist Democratic incumbents, as well as the potential of amultiracial working-class politics to triumph in aturbulent politicalenvironment.
Thats how the aphorism goes, right? First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win, said Tai. I think were definitely at the then they fight you phaseand we are, increasingly, in the then you winphase.