Is a Tea Party of the Left brewing inside the Democratic Party?
by W. James Antle III
| September 06, 2018 12:20 AM
Rep. Michael Capuano, D-Mass., conceded before the race was even officially called. That’s unusual for a 10-term incumbent, but Boston City Councilor Ayanna Pressley clearly bested him, winning nearly 59 percent of the vote.
It could be a sign something unusual is afoot inside the Democratic Party this year. Women candidates have fared well in the primaries. Liberals have also scored some upsets against the party establishment. The Tea Party arguably started in Massachusetts when Republican Scott Brown claimed Ted Kennedy’s former Senate seat in a 2010 special election — eight years later, are we witnessing a Tea Party of the Left?
Many progressive organizations and allies of Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., would like it to be so. The results are more complicated, however. Just look at Massachusetts: Three Democratic incumbents faced progressive primary challengers but only Capuano lost.
Rep. Richard Neal, D-Mass., trounced Tahirah Amatul-Wadud — a progressive Muslim woman — by a nearly 71-29 margin. Rep. Stephen Lynch, D-Mass., beat video game developer Brianna Wu 71-23. Lynch even had a conservative past: He voted against Obamacare on final passage and used to oppose legal abortion.
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