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Tuesday night began the long anticipated 2022 midterm cycle, one with huge stakes for Democrats as they hope to hold onto their fleeting majority in the House and the Senate. Results trickled in while President Biden delivered his first formal State of the Union, and many anticipated those returns would serve as a referendum on whats been a bumpy first year in office, one marked by Democrats moderate faction torpedoing the presidents agenda, while seeking open antagonism with the partys progressives.

At first glance, Texass results look like a triumph for progressives, who came away with some major victories, and didnt lose any top-priority races. The biggest breakthrough came by way of Texass 35th Congressional District, a gerrymandered deep-blue seat with pockets in Austin and San Antonio. Austin city councilman Greg Casar won the Democratic nomination outright, crushing the field with over 60 percent of the vote in a four-way contest. Endorsed by seemingly every major progressive group but the Democratic Socialists of America, Casars victory is a huge win for the left in Congress, which after just one round of primaries is already sure to add one more member to the ranks of the Squad.

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Notably, Casar pushed for cuts to Austins police funding and supported the decriminalization of outdoor camping, putting his victory deeply at odds with national Democrats newly fulsome embrace of police departments and expanding police budgets. Casars victory became clear at the same time Joe Biden delivered a chest-thumping rejection of defund the police movements, one that was met by a standing ovation from congressional Democrats. Also notable was Casars disavowal of the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement on the campaign trail, which led to his breakup with DSA, a sign that after Nina Turners loss in Cleveland, progressives are steering clear of confrontation with the deep-pocketed Democratic Majority for Israel PAC. Casar will represent a newly drawn district that features working-class and multiracial parts of metro San Antonio and East Austin.

Progressives also triumphed in Texass 30th District south of Dallas, though in less resounding fashion. Jasmine Crockett, a state lawmaker who built something of a national reputation by leading the opposition to Texass draconian and restrictive new voting laws and was endorsed by some national progressive groups like the Working Families Party, easily won her race for the seat being vacated by the retiring Eddie Bernice Johnson, but fell just short of the 50 percent threshold needed to avoid a May 24 runoff. Crockett was endorsed by Johnson personally.

Meanwhile, in South Texass 28th District, progressive immigration attorney Jessica Cisneros is also headed for a runoff against nine-term incumbent Henry Cuellar, after neither managed to breach the 50 percent threshold needed to secure the Democratic nomination. At last count, Cuellar looked to be slightly ahead, though another progressive candidate, Tannya Benavides, won nearly 5 percent of the vote share, which would have been more than enough to put Cisneros over the top. The runoff will be the third time Cuellar and Cisneros have squared off since 2020; two years ago, Cuellar beat Cisneros by four points.

Cisneross improved result in a district that has more favorable turf for her in Bexar County looks heartening for progressive groups, some of which have already called the runoff a triumph. There are plenty of ways to see in the returns a path to victory, with Benavides out of the race.

For well over a decade, Democrats have claimed to be just one cycle away from becoming a truly competitive force in Texas.

But its hard not to also see some disappointment in the result. The recent FBI raid of Cuellars house and campaign office hangs like a pall over his candidacy. Nearly every national Democratic organization sat out the race after that raid, including the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, which is notorious for meddling in Democratic primaries. Its a far cry from 2020s contest, which concluded with Nancy Pelosi coming to South Texas to campaign on Cuellars behalf. Pelosis campaign operation donated to Cuellar in the early goings of the 2022 contest, but didnt contribute another cent after the FBI turned up. The only incumbent protection outfits to endorse and stand by Cuellar post-raid were Bold PAC, the Congressional Hispanic Caucuss campaign arm, and Rep. Steny Hoyer personally. Cuellar himself wasnt meaningfully on the trail in the races final weeks.

Yet Cuellars ability to push the race into a runoff is a testament to the power of the local political machine hes built, and its capacity for inertia, as well as his substantial campaign coffers, a multimillion-dollar fundraising advantage. Even the most moderate of Democrats is aware that if Cuellar does triumph as the 28th District Democratic nominee for a tenth time, the general election will be brutal. Already, Republicans believe they have an outside shot in a Rio Grande Valley district that swung wildly away from Joe Biden and toward Donald Trump in 2020. And Republicans have found messaging on Democratic corruption, real or imagined, to be an immensely successful campaign strategy. The footage of the FBI rifling through Cuellars Laredo mansion will make that all the more effective.

Cuellar should face stiff competition to become the Democratic nominee. He was the only House Democrat to vote against a bill codifying Roe v. Wade as law, which died in the Senate just this week. He was the only House Democrat to vote against the PRO Act, which would greatly expand union enrollment. That means that both organized labor and pro-choice groups in the Democratic Party could make a meaningful push for Cisneros down the line. Given the salience of the abortion fight in Texas specifically and nationwide, and with the Court primed to vanquish Roe in this session, its almost impossible to see how national Democrats can accommodate Cuellar going forward.

For well over a decade, Democrats have claimed to be just one cycle away from becoming a truly competitive force in Texas. Those pronouncements have quieted. The states rightward surge continued last night as well. Trump-backed candidates dominated statewide. Gov. Greg Abbott romped in his primary race. Beto ORourke won the basically uncontested Democratic nomination to take him on in November, but his odds look only slightly more hopeful than his presidential aspirations were.

Also yet to be seen is the role of Texass stringent new voter restriction laws. In both Harris and El Paso Counties, nearly 30 percent of mail-in ballots were flagged for disqualification, according to the Guardian USs Sam Levine. Thats a stunningly high number, and gives a sense of just how impactful those laws will ultimately be. In a tightly contested general election, that could be more than enough to swing the outcome.

Still, theres plenty of reason to see progressivism ascendant in Texas after last nights results, at least within the Democratic Party, and no moderate resurgence to match, despite the moderate wings attempt to lay Bidens failures at the feet of progressives. But those progressive successes might be found more readily in open seats than in contested primaries like years prior. As a retirement wave has set in amongst the Democratic caucuss oldest members, thats reason enough to be hopeful about a distant future. If House Democrats are forced into a minority after November, the composition of the House Democratic caucus will continue to grow more progressive and more assertive.

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Progressives Gain a Foothold in Texas - The American Prospect

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The activist wings of both major political parties entered the Texas primary hoping to shake up state leadership. But as the votes kept rolling in Wednesday morning, it became clear the results would fall short of ushering in a sea change.

Texas top Republicans mostly fended off challengers in the GOP primary Tuesday. Meanwhile, a slate of progressives made inroads in Democratic primaries for Congress but fell short of their goal of an immediate sweep that would reshape Texas U.S. House delegation.

Gov. Greg Abbott decidedly trounced right-wing opponents Don Huffines, a former state senator, and Allen West, former head of the Texas GOP and one-term Florida congressman solidifying his hold on the Texas Republican base. Abbott will face Democratic challenger Beto ORourke, a former El Paso congressman, in the general election after ORourke easily won his partys nomination for governor.

Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and Comptroller Glenn Hegar also cruised to their partys nominations in their reelection bids, and Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller won his primary race early Wednesday.

At least one sitting GOP statewide incumbent didnt avoid a runoff: Attorney General Ken Paxton, who has been under indictment since 2015 and is under investigation by the FBI for accusations that he abused his office to help a campaign donor.

But Paxton snagged the most votes in the crowded primary field. Hell enter what is likely to be the highest-profile Texas runoff of 2022 against Land Commissioner George P. Bush. The race pits a two-term incumbent backed by former President Donald Trump against a member of a Bush family dynasty that stretches back decades in the state.

Republican incumbent Railroad Commissioner Wayne Christian was leading his challengers, but it was unclear early Wednesday if he would avoid a runoff.

In the one open statewide seat, state Sen. Dawn Buckingham, R-Lakeway, received the most votes in her bid for the GOP nomination for land commissioner. Shell enter a runoff with Tim Westley, a pastor and former congressional candidate. There will also be a runoff on the Democratic side between conservationist Jay Kleberg and Sandragrace Martinez, a relatively unknown candidate who was the top vote recipient.

Meanwhile, the status quo was largely preserved in the Texas Legislature. No state Senate incumbents lost their seats Tuesday night. In the House, one sitting Democrat Art Fierro lost, and no incumbent Republicans were knocked out, though a few were forced into runoffs. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and House Speaker Dade Phelan both saw the vast majority of their favored candidates win primaries in the chambers they preside over.

Abbott took his win as a mandate after conservatives had bashed him for enacting statewide COVID-19 restrictions early in the pandemic.

"Tonight, Republicans sent a message they want to keep Texas the land of opportunity and prosperity for absolutely everybody, the prosperity that we have delivered over the past eight years," Abbott said at his election night rally in Corpus Christi.

Backed by Trump, he neutralized his challengers by adopting hard-right positions on red-meat issues dear to the Republican base like barring employers from requiring workers to get vaccinated against COVID-19 and compelling a state agency to open child abuse investigations into parents who reportedly allow their transgender children to access some gender-affirming care.

Abbott responded to those criticisms and took action immediately to shore his right flank up, said Brendan Steinhauser, a GOP strategist and professor of political science at St. Edwards University in Austin. I think you couple that with the power of name ID, approval rating and money, and the other guys nobody really knew who they were and there you go.

Trump also endorsed Paxton. But to Corbin Casteel, a Republican consultant who was Trump's state campaign director, the fact that Paxton faces a runoff is a sign that his alleged misdeeds caught up with him.

He has been an embarrassment to the Republican Party, and voters pay attention, Casteel said.

Paxton has been in this position before, however. In his first campaign for attorney general in 2014, he bested then-state Rep. Dan Branch, a Dallas-area Republican, in the primary but not enough to avoid a runoff, in which Paxton prevailed. Paxton also won his 2018 primary and the general election that year while under indictment.

This time, nearly three-fifths of the Republican electorate voted against Paxton. But Bush may have a hard time convincing his voters to turn out for a runoff election in which party activists who back Paxton will be highly motivated to show up, Steinhauser said.

It's the activists that show up, Steinhauser said.

On the Democratic side, a slate of progressive candidates made headway in three congressional races perhaps signaling a new path for Democrats in Texas, political experts said Tuesday night.

Greg Casar, a former Austin City Council member who pushed the city leftward on issues of homelessness and police funding, edged out state Rep. Eddie Rodriguez to be the Democratic nominee in a new congressional district that heavily favors Democrats.

In Dallas, it wasn't determined early Wednesday whether state Rep. Jasmine Crockett who drew U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warrens backing Monday would avoid a runoff in her bid to succeed retiring U.S. Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson, who endorsed Crockett.

But the banner race for progressives ended the night with uncertainty in South Texas. Jessica Cisneros, a left-leaning lawyer, trailed U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar, a conservative Democrat from Laredo who has held his seat since 2005. But it was unclear whether the race would go into a runoff; it was too close to call early Wednesday morning. Cisneros, who lost to Cuellar in 2020, had hoped to capitalize on an FBI raid in January on Cuellars home and office to deprive the nine-term congressman of an easy 10th win.

Casar and Cisneros each drew the backing of U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders and U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who flew to Texas to campaign for them.

To Democratic observers, the trio of progressives made progress, which was an indicator that the states Democratic voters want more stridently progressive and aggressive candidates as Texas Republicans move further to the right. That, in turn, could firm up the partys platform and drive enthusiasm in November, said Manny Garcia, former executive director of the Texas Democratic Party.

They dont play politics as usual from the perspective of, Hey, if were nice to Republicans, maybe well get some crumbs off the table, Garcia said. That approach does exist in Texas. Theres a lot of folks in the Democratic Party that get frustrated by that.

Jen Ramos, a State Democratic Executive Committee member who pressed state party officials for changes after the partys dismal 2020 performance, echoed that.

We have attempted to play it safe for a very long time, Ramos said. And that has not necessarily yielded us the results that we have wanted and has not yielded us the results that weve needed to inspire change.

But a Cisneros victory in particular could spark worries for Democrats. Republicans have made gains in recent years in South Texas, and the nomination of a more progressive Democrat could be seen as an opportunity for the GOP to flip the seat.

Democratic races for lieutenant governor, attorney general and land commissioner are all headed to runoffs because no candidate gained a majority of votes.

As the states streak of low voter turnout during the primaries continued, the first statewide election since Texas enacted sweeping restrictions on voting access was marked by widespread rejection of mail-in ballots and considerable confusion at polls in the states large urban areas like Harris County.

Patrick Svitek contributed reporting.

Disclosure: St. Edwards University has been a financial supporter of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribunes journalism. Find a complete list of them here.

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Parties' activist wings see mixed results in Texas as Abbott advances, progressives fall short of goals - The Texas Tribune

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Georgia Democratic gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams was mocked online after comparing herself and progressive Democrats to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his people fighting off a Russian invasion.

Abrams made the comparison while speaking with "Daily Show" host Trevor Noah on her second gubernatorial campaign.

"We are a stronger nation when we allow people to participate," Abrams said in the clip that has been picking up steam online.

RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR: GOP SENATORS DEMAND BIDEN SANCTION ALLEGED PUTIN CRONIES PLOTTING ZELENSKYY ASSASSINATION

Democratic gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams issued a mea culpa for appearing maskless at a Georgia elementary school, posing in photos where everyone but her was following local COVID protocols.

"And if we ever doubted that: The war that Putin is waging against Ukraine, President Zelenskyy said it, and Im going to paraphrase him, probably poorly," the Georgia Democrat continued. "He said this isnt a war on Ukraine, this is a war on democracy in Ukraine."

RUSSIA INVADES UKRAINE: LIVE UPDATES

Abrams continued, saying it is "wrong" when "we allow democracy to be overtaken by those who want to choose who can be heard, and those choices are not based on anything other than animus or inconvenience."

The Georgia governor candidate was dogpiled online for the comments, with the Heritage Foundations John Cooper blasting Abrams on her signature issue with receipts.

"Should be noted that Ukraine also requires voter ID," Cooper wrote, linking out to Ukrainian legislation.

Other users torched Abrams over the comment, with GOP deputy national press secretary Will OGrady pointing out that the remarks were made on Comedy Central, and Republican communicator Matt Whitlock called the comparison "quite stupid."

Abrams lost to Republican Gov. Brian Kemp in the 2018 gubernatorial election for Georgia and became famous in blue circles as she and other Democrats claimed the election was stolen from her.

Trevor Noah arrives at the 62nd annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles on Jan. 26, 2020. (Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP, File)

The Georgia Democrat told Axios Monday that she "will acknowledge the victor" in the upcoming gubernatorial election.

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"I will always acknowledge the legal outcome of an election. I have never failed to do that," Abrams said. She also said that she doesn't want the American people to be in a place "where we cannot legitimately question" and criticize systems in an effort to make them better.

Abrams campaign did not immediately respond to Fox News Digitals request for comment.

Fox News Digitals Hanna Panreck contributed reporting.

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Stacey Abrams mocked after comparing herself, progressives to Zelenskyy and Ukraine - Fox News

A newUCLA studyestimates that over 17 million students in nearly 900 different school districts have been impacted by battles over critical race theory (CRT) between September 2020 and August 2021. That is nearly 35 percent of all K-12 students. Similarly, states and districts nationwide have beengripped by conflictsover policies and reading assignments dealing with LGBTQ issues. And it has all been happening as Americans have fought, often bitterly, over masking in schools in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In many cases, progressives have been losing these fights.

Headlines such as Republicans Are Once Again Heating Up the Culture Wars and How did Republicans turn critical race theory into a winning electoral issue? showcase the development of culture war into a powerful weapon for Republicans. Fourteen states, including South Dakota, Florida, and Texas, have already passed restrictions, typically vague, on teaching divisive concepts in public schools.Seventeen other statesare currently considering similar legislation. Meanwhile,bans on booksdelving into racial and LGBTQ+ issues have reached a fever pitch. And, of course, there was Glenn YoungkinGlenn YoungkinReynolds response hammers Biden for 'weakness on world stage' Vodka, pensions, sister cities: Governors move to punish Russia Progressives keep losing in education they need school choice MOREs gubernatorial victory in Virginia, where hisfirst major actwas to end the use of inherently divisive concepts, including Critical Race Theory in public schools.

For progressives, this is likelyfrustrating, even frightening. As Kentucky state Rep. Attica Scott (D) said about divisive conceptslegislation in Kentucky, "Im worried that it is an attempt to erase our history. Our history of struggle, of civil rights of rising up and resisting and creating policy that takes care of people."

How can progressives protect themselves from this onslaught? Rather than relying on winning political warfare with conservatives, which basically guarantees endless battles over what public schools will teach, they should embrace school choice. They should do so both because it would be a much more stable way to access progressive education no need for endless political combat to get it or keep it and because it is simply the right way to deliver education for a free and equal society. No one should have to defeat their neighbors to have their basic values respected in the raising of their children.

A reflexive objection for progressives might be that in recent decades school choice has typically beenassociated with Republicans. Perhaps this is because conservatives have more often felt marginalized by public schools. Or maybe they simply have believed more in freedom in education.

Whatever the reason, there is no compelling reason progressives should not support choice. Indeed, there was a time, not that long ago, when prominent progressives embraced school choice as a way to empower the politically dispossessed, especially minorities. Yale law professor James Forman Jr. has, in fact, proclaimed that when it has come to school choice progressives got there first.

There is much truth to that. In 1968, Harvard Graduate School of Education DeanTed Sizer released aProposal for a Poor Childrens Bill of Rightssupporting choice for the poor who had too little political power to make public schools work for them. Civil rights leader Cesar Chavezsupported alternativesto public schools, understanding that all families and children have diverse needs and desires. Polly Williams, an African American Democratic state representative, wasa major force behind the nations first voucher program,created in Milwaukee in 1990.

All families desire an education consistent, or at least not starkly at odds, with their core values and identities. But as theUCLA studyrightly understands, Students own rights to learn about these issues will now be dependent on the local systems they are inand in some places, on who wins school board elections. In other words, whether students get what they need will be decided by who wields political power.

It should not be this way. For their own sake, progressives should start demanding school choice. But even more important, they should do it for the sake of free and open society.

Neal McCluskey directs the Cato Institutes Center for Educational Freedom, where Solomon Chen is a research associate.

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Progressives keep losing in education they need school choice | TheHill - The Hill

I may be wasting my words, but I still feel compelled to point out a very simple, perhaps inconvenient, fact: we need oil and natural gas to survive as a civilization.

My visionary, progressive friends fret, and correctly so, over the global warming impact of this simple truth. Yes, we must develop alternative energy sources, and until they are more widely available, we must conserve and continue to improve emission damage from fossil fuels.

Until the arrival of our surely utopian, progressive future where we power our industries, hospitals, schools, food production, defense and social fabric without fossil fuels, lets revert to the energy-independence course that President Joe Biden started to reverse on the day he was sworn in by canceling permits for the Keystone XL Pipeline. Get it flowing.

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Canadian and domestic energy is no different from that produced overseas; it has the same environmental impact. It just comes unencumbered by kings and princes, dictators and lunatics, murderers and thieves, and flows unimpeded by the insanities of the broader world.

To my progressive friends: Put down the latte and look at the actual world we share. Tell me, where is my logic flawed?

Lastly, and most disturbing to the enlightened walking among us, Democrats will never restore expansion of our energy industry, at least not those Democrats currently in command of the once-great party many of us remember.

Lou Manfredo, Deptford Township

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Progressives must face that we still need fossil fuels | Letter - NJ.com