Democrats want to take back Congress. Did Tuesday’s primaries reveal a path forward?

Summary

Podcast Summary: Consider This from NPR

Episode Title: Democrats want to take back Congress. Did Tuesday’s primaries reveal a path forward?
Date: August 12, 2026
Host: Juana Summers
Featured Guest: Amanda Lippman, President of Run for Something

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Episode Overview

This episode dives into the results of a significant primary day across multiple states, focusing on the Democratic Party’s internal struggles and the ongoing debate over its future direction. Highlighting races in Wisconsin, Minnesota, Michigan, and Connecticut, the discussion centers on the tensions between progressive and moderate wings of the party and what these primary results suggest about the Democrats’ chances—and strategies—for reclaiming Congress in the upcoming midterm elections.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Mixed Messages from Primary Results (00:00–02:37)

• Democratic Party at a Crossroads: Recent primaries exposed the ongoing tension between progressive and establishment wings.
• Notable Races:
  • Minnesota: Progressive Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan wins despite being outspent.
    • Peggy Flanagan quote: “For months now, I have been telling you that this campaign was about many versus the money. Well, guess what, the many just won.” (00:27)
  • Wisconsin: Democratic Socialist Francesca Hong narrowly loses to moderate Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley.
    • David Crowley quote: “This election is not about insiders versus outsiders. … It’s about building a movement.” (00:45)

2. Analyzing Wisconsin’s Tight Gubernatorial Primary (02:37–05:15)

• Crowley’s Narrow Win (Margin: 0.5%, about 4,000 votes out of 750,000) (02:37)
• Polling vs. Reality: Despite Hong leading in late polls, Crowley’s campaign surged with ads and establishment backing.
  • Amanda Lippman commentary (03:33): “People tuned in right in the last couple days. … Francesca, who had ran a really strong campaign, started polling basically at 0%, had thousands of volunteers … did crumble a little bit in the final week, did some interviews she, I think, came to regret, had a tough time running away from some of her past sillier tweets.”
• Electability Debate: Concerns centered on Hong’s ability to win a general election in a swing state, especially due to her prior support for “defunding the police.”
  • Lippman: “I think it is a little bit unfounded. We don't know.” (04:28)
  • Lippman pushes back on media caricatures: “…a lot of the conversation around her was really problematic … dismissing her as sort of a faculty loun … she was a working class chef who, an immigrant, didn’t graduate from college. … None of those things. She just really held some really strong beliefs.” (04:28)

3. Minnesota’s Progressive Win and the Immigration Debate (05:15–06:12)

• Peggy Flanagan’s Victory: Seen as a win for progressives, especially on immigration.
  • Flanagan’s opponent, Angie Craig, voted for a major anti-immigrant bill.
  • Lippman (05:34): “That seems to have been a huge mistake, especially what we saw in Minnesota with ICE showing up, killing Minnesotans in the streets. This is not what voters wanted.”
• Challenging Simple Narratives: “I think people are underrating that when we talk about … the simple establishment versus insurgent conversation …”

4. Broader Midwestern Trends (06:12–07:02)

• Progressive Momentum, But Not a Landslide: Even narrow losses (like Hong’s) show Democratic voters are seeking change and new voices.
  • Lippman (06:29): “Democratic primary voters are sick of the status quo. They want change. They want people who were not part of getting us into this mess to help get us out of it.”
  • Voters are interested in solutions beyond just opposing Trump.

5. Generational Tension: The Connecticut Example (07:02–08:06)

• John Larson (14-term Congressman) Ousted: Defeated by 31-years-younger Luke Brown.
  • Lippman’s group, Run for Something, encourages younger Democrats to run.
  • Lippman (07:25): “I called last year for every Democrat over the age of 75 to make this their last term. I stand by that. … Congressman Larson in particular had … some communication issues. There's very viral video where he goes to a local farmer's market and doesn't understand what making content is and doesn't know what boba tea is. Seemed pretty out of touch with where normal Connecticut-ers are.”
  • Emphasizes need for politicians to communicate effectively with present-day voters.

6. Experience vs. Fresh Faces (08:06–08:44)

• Juana Summers challenges Lippman: Shouldn’t experience matter?
• Lippman (08:22): “Have they proven it over the last 2 years, 4 years, 8 years, 10 years? … Most establishment members of Congress have folded. … They maybe know how the system works, but they're not using that knowledge to any good ends. So what's the point? Might as well try someone new.”

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Notable Quotes (with Timestamps)

• Peggy Flanagan (00:27):
  “For months now, I have been telling you that this campaign was about many versus the money. Well, guess what, the many just won.”
• David Crowley (00:45):
  “This election is not about insiders versus outsiders. … It’s about building a movement.”
• Amanda Lippman on polling reality (03:33):
  “People tuned in right in the last couple days. … Francesca … started polling basically at 0%, had thousands of volunteers … did crumble a little bit in the final week, did some interviews she … came to regret.”
• Amanda Lippman on dismissing Francesca Hong (04:28):
  “A lot of the conversation around her was really problematic … She was a working class chef who, an immigrant, didn’t graduate from college. She just really held some really strong beliefs.”
• Amanda Lippman on generational turnover (07:25):
  “I called last year for every Democrat over the age of 75 to make this their last term. I stand by that.”
• Amanda Lippman on experience in Congress (08:22):
  “Most establishment members of Congress have folded. … They maybe know how the system works, but they're not using that knowledge to any good ends. … Might as well try someone new.”

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Key Takeaways

• Democratic voters want change, with significant but not overwhelming momentum for progressives.
• Generational divide is sharpening as younger candidates challenge long-time incumbents.
• Narratives about “electability” and experience are being reconsidered; voters weigh the value of institutional knowledge against fresh approaches and communication.
• No clear unity or direction for Democrats heading into the 2026 midterms—both strategy and party identity remain live debates.

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• Mixed results overview: 00:00–02:37
• Wisconsin governor primary analysis: 02:37–05:15
• Minnesota senate primary deep-dive: 05:15–06:12
• Midwestern primary trends: 06:12–07:02
• Connecticut generational shift: 07:02–08:06
• Experience vs. youth discussion: 08:06–08:44

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This summary provides a detailed look at the shifting landscape inside the Democratic Party as seen through 2026’s primary battles, revealing a party grappling with its direction and generational leadership.

Transcript

[Juana Summers]

It's consider this where every day we go deep on one big news story today. Unpacking a busy primary day, voters in half a dozen states went to the polls on Tuesday. For Democrats who hope to win back Congress in the fall, it was a night of mixed messages about which direction the party should embrace. In Minnesota, Peggy Flanagan, the state's progressive lieutenant governor, won her primary for U.S. senate despite being outspent by an establishment backed candidate. For months now, I have been telling you that this campaign was about many versus the money. Well, guess what, the many just won. Meanwhile, in Wisconsin's gubernatorial primary, Francesca Hong, a Democratic Socialist, lost her primary to Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley. This election is not about insiders versus Outsiders. It's not about the establishment versus progressives. It's about building something bigger than any one campaign. It's about building a movement. Y' all consider this Tuesday's primaries highlight the ongoing conflicts within the Democratic Party ahead of the November midterms. And it is still unclear what course the party should take going into the midterms. After the break, a Democratic strategist weighs in. From npr, I'm Juana Summers.

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[Juana Summers]

It's Consider this from npr. Here's a data point. In Wisconsin, the margin of victory in the Democratic primary for governor is about half a percentage point, around 4,000 votes and over 750,000 votes cast. That was one of several races last night and this summer pitting more progressive candidates against more moderate ones. Let's Try to pick out some trends with Amanda Lippman. She's the president of Run for Something, and that's an organization supporting young Democrats running for office. Hi there.

[Amanda Lippman]

Hi.

[Juana Summers]

I mean, there's just so much ground to cover on the map from a big primary day yesterday. I want to start in Wisconsin, where the Democratic primary for governor saw the more moderate candidate, Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley, prevail quite narrowly over state legislator Francesca Hong, who's a Democratic socialist. And I'll just note that leading up to this race, when if for people who are watching the polls, Hong was overwhelmingly leading in most public polls. What is your big takeaway from that race?

[Amanda Lippman]

You know, people tuned in right in the last couple days. We know that there was a ton of money spent on behalf of David Crowley. He was running a ton of ads on the air. And Francesca, who had ran a really strong campaign, started polling basically at 0%, had thousands of volunteers that came from behind, you know, really did crumble a little bit in the final week, did some interviews. She, I think, came to regret, had a tough time running away from some of her past sillier tweets. And David was able to close it out in part with the establishment really circling the wagons around him. You know, the polls captured a snapshot in time, but as we have seen, they are not predictive.

[Juana Summers]

And so much of the conversation around Hong was really about whether she had the ability to win a general election in the swing state, especially given some of her previous statements, including supporting defunding the police, for example. What did you make about the discourse around her specifically and her electability?

[Amanda Lippman]

You know, I think it is a little bit unfounded. We don't know. We don't know. And in a year like 2026, where we have seen really wild results from some of these elections, maybe she could have won. I do think that it would have been hard. She would have had to bring in a really different team. She would have had to raise a ton of money. The Republicans would have had a lot of material there. But I don't. I don't think we should rule it out entirely. I do think a lot of the conversation around her was really problematic in many ways, dismissing her as sort of a faculty loun. You know, I think one pundit called it, like, exotica. She was a working class chef who, an immigrant, didn't graduate from college. She is none of those things. She just really held some really strong beliefs, especially back in 2020, in the years since, and communicated them in a way that I think maybe now she would do it a little bit differently.

[Juana Summers]

Yeah. Moving to neighboring Minnesota, Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan won the nomination for the Senate seat over House Representative Angie Craig. And people have described this race also as the more progressive candidate prevailing to some extent. And immigration just huge role in this race. Tell us what you saw.

[Amanda Lippman]

You know, Angie Craig, within the first couple days of the Trump 2.0, voted for the Lake and Riley act, that very aggressive, very anti immigrant bill that the Republican Congress pushed through and Trump signed a year and a half later. That seems to have been a huge mistake, especially what we saw in Minnesota with ICE showing up, killing Minnesotans in the streets. This is not what voters wanted. Peggy Flanagan, the Lieutenant governor, ran a really strong campaign that was able to go across the coalition. She handily won that election yesterday. And I think people are underrating that when we talk about, you know, the, the simple establishment versus insurgent conversation from Tuesday.

[Juana Summers]

Amanda, if you take these results as well as the narrow victory for progressive candidate Abdul Al said in the Michigan primary for Senate, there seem to be just a lot of upper Midwest hunger for new voices, but also some hand wringing about them, it seems. Can you consider these all together?

[Amanda Lippman]

Yeah. I think even seeing Francesca lost, but as you noted, by only half a percentage point, she got close to 40% of the vote. Democratic primary voters are sick of the status quo. They want change. They want people who were not part of getting us into this mess to help get us out of it. I think we're seeing them explore different kinds of candidates, different kinds of campaigns, and seeing candidates who are really singing out of a bigger songbook or talking about taking big swings to solve our problems. It is not enough just to say I can stop Trump, will fight Trump. It's what else are you going to do?

[Juana Summers]

I do want to ask you also about what we saw happen in Connecticut where 14 term Democratic Congressman John Larsson was successfully challenged by former Hartford Mayor Luke Brown, who's 31 years his younger, and run for something. Your organization supports young Democrats running for office. Is this a trend? It seems to be on its face to be not a great time to be an older Democrat seeking reelection.

[Amanda Lippman]

You know, I called last year for every Democrat over the age of 75 to make this their last term. I stand by that. These older leaders, when they have to fight and defend their seats and make an affirmative case why they are the right people right now, they're having a tough time doing it. Congressman Larson in particular had had some health struggles, had some communication issues. There's very viral video where he goes to a local farmer's market and doesn't understand what making content is and doesn't know what boba tea is. Seemed pretty out of touch with where normal Connecticut ers are. You've got to be able to communicate and to understand where your voters are in this moment. And that's not to say that every 75 or 80 old can't do it, but he definitely couldn't.

[Juana Summers]

Pushing back a little bit here, I I wonder if I were to have someone like Congressman Larson or another veteran lawmaker on the line here, they might argue that experience matters, that they know how to legislate, that they know how the system works to be able to effectively represent their constituents. What do you make of that argument?

[Amanda Lippman]

Have they proven it over the last 2 years, 4 years, 8 years, 10 years? 14 years? We have seen in the last especially 18 months most establishment members of Congress have folded. They have bent the knee to Trump. They have not indicated the kind of courage or conviction that their voters are really showing. They maybe know how the system works, but they're not using that knowledge to any good ends. So what's the point? Might as well try someone new.

[Juana Summers]

We've been speaking with Amanda Littman. Her organization is run for something, Amanda thinks anytime. This episode was produced by Leena Muhammad and Kathryn Fink with audio engineering by Ted Mebane. It was edited by Patrick Jaranwattanan and 10 Beat Ermias. Our director is Jonas Adams and our interim executive producer is Courtney Dorning. It's Consider this from npr, I'm Juana Summers.

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