Hailed by many credulous observers as the future of U.S. politics, the progressive left is on an epic losing streak. Democratic primary voters in Cleveland last week dealt the latest rebuff, choosing Joe Biden loyalist Shontel Brown over Nina Turner, a combative acolyte of Sen. Bernie Sanders, in the race to fill a vacant congressional seat.
Brown’s upset victory followed centrist Eric Adams’s comfortable win over the progressive favorite in New York City’s mayoral Democratic primary in June, as well as recent drubbings of leftist hopefuls in primaries in Virginia and Louisiana.
Progressives also stumbled in last year’s main event — the 2020 presidential nominating contest. It began amid lavish media coverage of the jockeying by Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, Kamala Harris, Cory Booker, Julian Castro and Bill de Blasio for “more progressive than thou” honors. It ended with Biden, the unfashionable old party warhorse, coasting to the nomination on his way to a resounding victory over Donald Trump in November.
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