Democratic Party Divide, Lettuce is Saving You Green, Colombia Rescue Efforts

**Michelle Martin** (0:02)
Recent primary results were supposed to offer clues on voters' appetite for progressive candidates.

**Leila Fadel** (0:07)
But the results so far paint a muddled picture. What does that mean for the party's midterm strategy?

**Michelle Martin** (0:12)
I'm Michelle Martin, that's Leila Fadel, and this is Up First from NPR News.

**Leila Fadel** (0:19)
New inflation numbers are out, and lettuce, as in your produce aisles, leafy greens, was a highlight.

**David Ortega** (0:25)
Retailers are gonna cut prices in order to move that inventory, particularly because it's also a perishable product.

**Leila Fadel** (0:32)
How are lettuce prices impacting the cost of living?

**Michelle Martin** (0:35)
And in Colombia, rescue teams are racing to find earthquake victims still buried under rubble. Nearly 500 people are still missing. Stay with us for news you need to start your day.
Democrats are clear on the goal. They want to win back control of Congress this November.

**Leila Fadel** (0:55)
But throughout primary season, the party has faced high-profile divides over its future. Those tensions were on display this month in three Midwestern states where primary voters sent a mix of signals about what they want from the party.

**Michelle Martin** (1:10)
NPR political reporter, Elena Moore, has been following it, and she's with us now. Good morning, Elena.

**Alaina Moore** (1:14)
Good morning.

**Michelle Martin** (1:15)
So now that the Democratic primaries in Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin are over, what would you say is the key takeaway?

**Alaina Moore** (1:21)
Yeah, well, for months we've seen leftist candidates pull off upsets in a handful of solidly blue House districts, running on an anti-establishment message focused on affordability concerns. What made these races, Michel, notable is candidates were running on a similar message, but putting it to a much broader statewide audience, and the results were mixed.

**Michelle Martin** (1:43)
Okay, so talk us through that.

**Alaina Moore** (1:44)
Well, let's start last week in Michigan, where Abdul El-Sayed defeated Congresswoman Haley Stevens in the Democratic primary for US Senate there. El-Sayed pitched himself as a populist political outsider, and he had the backing of key progressives, like Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. He drummed up a lot of enthusiasm, and heading into election day, the polls indicated he had a sizable lead, but that's not what the results showed. He won, but only by a single percentage point, a little over 15,000 votes. And, you know, make no mistake, a win is a win, but those results show how divided this party is. I mean, it was virtually a 50-50 split.

**Michelle Martin** (2:24)
It also shows that the polls are not that great in primaries and state primaries, and let's be clear on that. Okay, and this week there was another race where this dynamic played out, the Wisconsin governor's race. What happened there?

**Alaina Moore** (2:35)
Yeah, I mean, this was another really close race, decided by less than 4,000 votes. Ultimately, the establishment pick, Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley, narrowly defeated State Representative Francesca Hong, a self-described Democratic Socialist, and people had been comparing Hong's candidacy to El-Sayed in Michigan, but there were some key differences. I mean, for one, Hong had fewer endorsements from National Progressives. She also faced criticism for past comments, supporting things like defunding the police and abolishing prisons, positions other leftist candidates have avoided. So, running on this anti-establishment message may be politically popular right now, but the messenger still matters too.

**Michelle Martin** (3:17)
And let's go to Minnesota now. What stands out there?

**Alaina Moore** (3:21)
Well, it was an example that, you know, this intra-party fight is manifesting in different ways, right? Like take the Democratic primary for Senate there, where we saw the state's Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan decisively beat Congresswoman Angie Craig. And Flanagan established herself as the more progressive candidate, but in the end, one of the big things that defined this race was the issue of immigration. Specifically, Craig faced criticism over her vote for a bill that makes it easier for immigration officers to detain and deport people without legal status.

**Michelle Martin** (3:53)
So where does all this leave Democrats as they start to shift from primary season to general election mode?

**Alaina Moore** (3:59)
Right. Well, the general election is all about growing your coalition, but that only matters if Democrats show up and in full.
It's clear these anti-establishment candidates are re-energizing a part of the base that has felt disconnected from the party in recent elections. But that could come at a risk of alienating other key parts of the base. And, Michel, when you're looking at toss-up races this fall, Democrats can't afford to have any voter stay home.

**Michelle Martin** (4:26)
That is NPR Political Reporter Alaina Moore. Alaina, thank you.