Yesterday was primary day in several states and the results were a mixed bag from a progressive perspective.

In California the final results are not yet in and are likely to be not known for a while. The very worst possible outcome, that the two Republicans would make it to the top and then compete in the general election was avoided. The very best outcome, that both of them would be eliminated from the top two, also did not come to pass, since it looks like Republican Steve Hilton will make the cut, likely to face the Democratic establishment candidate Xavier Becerra although Tom Steyer, whom I voted for despite being an (ugh!) millionaire, might still squeeze out one those two, though it seems unlikely.

In the Los Angeles mayoral race, incumbent Karen Bass fended off a challenge from a progressive in Nithya Raman and will likely face a Republican reality TV character and Trump supporter Spencer Pratt, although there is still a chance that Raman might edge out Pratt.

Both those results, along with some others, are being interpreted as wins for the Democratic Party establishment.

It was the same for establishment Democrats elsewhere. In deep-blue San Francisco, a union-backed proposal to impose a surtax on companies with “overpaid CEOs” trailed in early returns, though with the race still too close to call. In the race to succeed Nancy Pelosi in Congress, Scott Wiener, a prominent state senator, and Connie Chan, a progressive city supervisor who received Pelosi’s endorsement, advanced over a third Democrat, Saikat Chakrabarti, who had been deeply critical of Pelosi and the Democratic Party. And across the Rockies in Iowa, in one of the nation’s most closely watched Senate races, Democrats picked establishment-supported Josh Turek on Tuesday night.

But there was some good news for progressives elsewhere. According to the Drop Site newsletter from earlier today (no deep link to the letter unfortunately):

Adam Hamawy, a former U.S. Army combat surgeon endorsed by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), won the Democratic primary in New Jersey’s 12th Congressional District on Tuesday, defeating 12 other candidates. Hamawy, who served as a combat surgeon in Iraq, provided medical aid in Gaza in 2024, and supports Medicare for All and opposing military aid to Israel, overcame last-minute attacks which speciously linked his medical volunteer work in Bosnia to Al Qaeda and which sought to tie him to Omar Abdel-Rahman, after it was revealed he testified at his 1995 trial. He will face Republican Gregg Mele in the general election, though his victory is essentially guaranteed in the deep-blue district.
…

Auto mechanic Randy Villegas leads his Democratic opponent, Dr. Jasmeet Bains, by 4 points in California’s 22nd district, which covers a sizable chunk of the state’s Central Valley. Bains has received the backing of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and, notably, reversed her position on Israel after receiving support from the AIPAC-offshoot Democratic Majority for Israel. One of these Democrats will face Republican incumbent David Valdao, a moderate Republican who voted in favor of President Trump’s second impeachment in January 2021.
…

In Montana, firefighter Sam Forstag holds a 4-point lead over former gubernatorial candidate Ryan Busse in the Democratic primary for the state’s 1st congressional district, though the race has yet to be called. Forstag was endorsed by Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who held a rally for the candidate in Missoula last week.

The feckless Democratic party establishment, aided by the Israel lobby, has the resources to throw behind their preferred candidates, those who will not challenge oligarchic interests or advance truly progressive values. But progressives are nipping at their heels and they must be feeling the pressure.