The June 5 primaries underscored just how disastrous an impact the far-left progressive faction of the Democratic Party could have in undermining its chances of taking back control of the House in November. Take what happened in California, the state with arguably the greatest implications for the Democratic Party’s prospects this fall. California has widely been seen as a litmus test for Democratic prospects at picking up the 23 seats needed to take back control of the House in midterms.
Yet, the primary season was marked by overcrowded Democratic fields and divisive Democratic infighting between progressive candidates seemingly embracing socialism, and candidates that were markedly moderate and inclusive. These self-styled progressive candidates flooded competitive “jungle primary” races up and down the Golden State, ultimately cannibalizing the Democratic vote. The end result was a strong night for Republicans at both the gubernatorial and congressional level.
In the governor’s race, Republicans avoided the doomsday scenario of having two Democrats secure the most votes, which would have left them without a Republican at the top of the ticket this November, while the Democrats failed at shutting Republican candidates out of the top two slots in a single House district, including the seven hotly contested Republican-held districts carried by Hillary Clinton in 2016.
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