‘They call us extreme, they call us radical,’ the progressive Senate candidate said. ‘But I think people see through that’

‘They call us extreme, they call us radical,’ the progressive Senate candidate said. ‘But I think people see through that’

It wasn’t supposed to be this way.

In conservative Florida, Alex Vindman – a retired army intelligence officer who blew this whistle on Donald Trump in his first term – appeared set to carry the Democratic establishment banner as the party staged a long-shot bid to topple a Republican US senator.

Florida’s Democratic voters had other ideas.

Democratic socialist Angie Nixon emerged a surprise victor in the US Senate primary on Tuesday, after a campaign in which she was outfunded and outspent by Vindman at a ratio of more than 10 to one.

    • halcyoncmdr@piefed.socialEnglish
      192·
      4 days ago

      If by letting her run you mean required by law to allow qualifying candidates to run, then yeah they “let” her run.

      The party helped raise and funnel over 16x as much campaign money to another candidate.

      Nixon, a tenacious leftwing fighter and former union organizer who has represented Jacksonville in the Florida house since 2020, raised ** $975,000 in her campaign** , as against Vindman’s $16.3m.

      A candidate with no Congressional experience, largely because of national name recognition only because they testified against Trump at his impeachment, not because they are the best candidate to represent Floridians.

      “The reason that we all collectively thought that he was the favorite was because he had that national name recognition, and especially because he was able to raise so much money,” said Aubrey Jewett, professor of political science at the University of Central Florida.

      They put the weight of the party behind a candidate that was appointed to the National Security Council by Trump in 2018. Yeah, Vindman testified at Trump’s impeachment about glaringly obvious treasonous actions that any sane person not blinded by media propaganda has an issue with, but he was still the Trump administration’s pick for the NSC position. And if there’s anything we know about the individuals they tend to pick, it’s because they prioritize loyalty. They’re not always totally right, but that has clearly been their first priority when looking at candidates over any other qualifications.

      • DagwoodIII@piefed.socialEnglish
        23·
        3 days ago

        You seem really intent on losing the elections this year.

        But yes, maybe we’ll get a perfect line up in 2028, or 2030…

        • DaveyRocket@lemmy.worldEnglish
          1·
          2 days ago

          Jesus, so many Democrats treat elections like a fucking trophy room. We aren’t trying to fucking win here, we’re trying to actually fucking change things and not become a fascist country. Good luck doing that with corporate sponsored assholes who have done and continue to do next to nothing for the people unless they get a permission slip from the moneyed interest.