Endorsements in a Year of Insurgents

Insurgents on Column A

In a political environment where it's looking more and more like a November landslide, primary elections might seem perfunctory.  That's because normally well-funded incumbents supported by their respective party machines are expected to win. Well, not this year.

In both Democratic and Republican primaries around the country we are seeing surprises; multi-term incumbents are falling to little-known challengers. 

For Republicans, Trump-backed incumbents are losing to political newbie challengers, like Colorado's Q-Anon conspiracy-believing restaurateur whose servers carry guns.   True story: it happened yesterday. Colorado's 3rd Congressional District's Trump-endorsed 5-term incumbent Scott Tipton lost to QAnon believer, Lauren Boebert.

Unfamiliar with QAnon?

QAnon followers believe that Trump is fighting enemies in the “deep state” and a child sex trafficking ring run by satanic pedophiles and cannibals. The QAnon name comes from online clues purportedly posted by a high-ranking government official known as “Q.

https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/30/politics/scott-tipton-loses-lauren-boebert-colorado/index.html

Same thing for Democrats. Like the apparent loss of New York's 16-term incumbent Congressman Eliot Engel to progressive newbie, Jamaal Bowman.

Note, Engel had received endorsements from a constellation of moderate Dem heavyweights such as  House Intelligence Committee Chair Adam Schiff, House Majority Whip James Clyburn, and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. 

Bowman, on the other hand, won endorsements from the party's left, including  Sen. Bernie Sanders,  Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), among a host of liberal pols and organizations.  

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/24/nyregion/ny-primary-election-results.html

HOBOKEN GOVERNMENT UNITED BEHIND SIRES
What does an insurgent wave mean for Hoboken's July 7 primary?

Incumbent Albio Sires, who represents New Jersey's 8th Congressional District, has been endorsed by NJ Gov. Phil Murphy, Senators Cory Booker and Bob Menendez. 

Sires is also backed by the all-powerful Hudson County Democratic Organization (HCDO).  The HCDO candidate managed to rally endorsements from Hoboken's fractured city government:  Mayor Bhalla and all nine Council members.  Sires has also reportedly hired Vision Media, HCDO's go-to public relations firm, to unleash a flurry of attacks on his progressive opponent, Hector Oseguera.  

Sires' mad dash for endorsements means what, exactly.  Says The Jersey Journal:  

"Apparently seeing a threat in the 32-year-old lawyer, the Sires campaign has gone on offense, as the two candidates trade barbs and accusations. 

Since June 19, the Sires campaign has sent out eight press releases, touting high-profile endorsements and leveling criticisms of Oseguera.

Sires may have reason to worry. Across the Hudson, the insurgent wing of the Democratic party, propelled by protests against police brutality, performed strongly in New York’s primary elections. In the closely watched race for New York’s 16th Congressional District, educator Jamaal Bowman toppled Eliot Engel, a 30-year veteran of the House of Representatives.

Oseguera, wielding a megaphone, is a familiar face at Hudson County protests. The movement that erupted following the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis “absolutely” boosted his campaign, he said."

https://hudsoncountyview.com/win-or-lose-oseguera-says-he-is-ushering-in-a-new-progressive-challenge-to-the-hcdo/

Oseguera has his share of endorsements from progressive organizations, and others including author Marianne Williamson and Jersey City Councilman James Solomon.   

Which reminds me: my absentee ballot is still sitting around. Off to it!