DEMS/ELECTION/GOP/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP PEOPLE: “Liberal Democrats and conservative Republicans loyal to Donald Trump scored victories in nominating contests for Florida and Arizona, giving momentum to the insurgent wings of America’s two main parties ahead of the November mid-term election. Here are several takeaways from contests that will be pivotal in November, when Democrats hope to wrest control of Congress from Republicans and win back influential statehouses. A few weeks ago, Andrew Gillum remained relatively unknown to Florida voters despite a historic bid to be the state’s first black governor. Most opinion polls through Election Day showed him trailing in a crowded field of better-funded competitors. But he pulled off an upset with an unapologetically liberal agenda and grassroots campaign in a battleground state, where Democrats have failed to hold the governor’s office for two decades after successive losses by white, centrist candidates. Gillum defied that conventional wisdom with his fiery calls for expansive government-run healthcare and Trump’s impeachment. The 39-year-old son of a bus driver highlighted the power of his historic candidacy to rouse younger and more racially diverse voters who often sit out midterm elections.”
–Letitia Stein, “Liberal Democrats, Trump loyalists, and women win in U.S. nominating contests,” Reuters, August 28, 2018 12:02 am