The Last 'Major' Primaries of 2022 Hold Some Lessons

Four states have primaries scheduled for September, but in Politico's view, Tuesday night marked the last "major" contests before the 2022 election. It and other media outlets weigh in on lessons learned from Florida and New York's results.

• New York race as a bellwether? Politico sees the race to fill the seat left behind by now Lieutenant Governor Antonio Delgado as a decent proxy for what's coming (despite this race being a special election). "It’s a competitive district where both parties spent real money and tested their general election messaging—abortion for Democrats, the economy for Republicans." Democrat Pat Ryan bested Republican Marc Molinaro.
• The topic of abortion rights. The New York Times digs into what Ryan's vocal support of abortion rights and messaging around it says about what's coming: It "offers among the clearest signs yet that abortion can be a powerful motivator in congressional elections, even as voters weigh other concerns, including frustration with the White House and anger over inflation."

• Losing the House. The consensus remains that Democrats will still likely lose the House come November, but they may not be in for the thrashing that had previously been expected. CNBC's take: "Republicans were anticipating a typical midterm landslide, with inflation high and President Joe Biden’s approval rating low. It may still end up a solid GOP year, but Ryan’s win is the latest indication that Democrats don’t have to abandon hope."
• What Florida shows us. It was a good night for Donald Trump (see Matt Gaetz's 40-plus point win). But the same can be said for Ron DeSantis, whose own endorsed candidates largely came out on top in their school board and state legislative races. The takeaway: "Trump isn’t the only Republican in Florida with a political machine," per Politico.
• Blue potential in Florida? The Washington Post reports that despite the thoroughly Republican nature of its statewide officials, Democrats have chosen "two serious candidates to try to take down a pair of the biggest names in Republican politics in November: DeSantis and Sen. Marco Rubio." Rubio will face "rising star" Rep. Val Demings, a former Orlando police chief who touts her "by-the-bootstraps upbringing as the daughter of a maid and janitor." DeSantis will face Charlie Crist.

(More Election 2022 stories.)