Progressive Democrat Blasted By Her Own Party Advances In Texas Primary

A progressive Democrat attacked by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee advanced in the primary vote for a Texas congressional seat on Tuesday.

Laura Moser, the activist and writer who withstood the broadside from the House Democrats’ campaign arm, emerged as one of the party’s two potential nominees for Texas’ 7th Congressional District. In a crowded Democratic field, none of the seven contenders in the Houston-area district received the 50-percent-plus-one needed to win outright.

Moser now heads to a May 24 runoff election against corporate lawyer Lizzie Fletcher, who led the primary field, to determine which Democrat faces Rep. John Culberson, a nine-term Republican, in November’s general election.

But even if Moser falls short in May, her strong performance on Tuesday demonstrates the strength of the Democratic Party’s energized progressive base and the limits of the DCCC’s power to steer the outcomes of contentious primaries.

“The bosses in the party tried to put their thumb on the scale and they misjudged it. It shows how far out of touch some in the leadership of the party are from their supporters,” said John Floyd, a criminal defense attorney and leader of the local Our Revolution chapter, which backed Moser’s bid.

Source: huffingtonpost