STATE OF PLAY: Highly watched Hong race remains too close to call as progressives notch key primary wins

A too-close-to-call Senate primary in a state Democrats used to think of as a lock tells you something is shifting underneath their feet. Flanagan versus Craig isn't just a personality contest, it's the party arguing with itself about which direction actually wins Minnesota, and neither side seems to have a clean answer.

What's notable is that the progressive wins being touted aren't landslides. They're squeakers, ground out in primaries where turnout skewed toward the most online, most activist slice of the electorate. That's a different animal than a general election. Democrats have made this mistake before, mistaking a primary win for a mandate, and then wondering in November why the message that fired up the base fell flat with everyone else.

We'd also point out that Angie Craig has built her career on being the Democrat who can survive in a swing district, and the fact that she's in a dogfight against a more progressive challenger says the party's grassroots aren't satisfied with survival. They want a fighter, or at least someone who talks like one. Whether that instinct is right for a state with plenty of working-class, common-sense voters is a separate question entirely.

None of this is our fight to referee, but it's worth watching closely. A Democratic Party pulled further left by its primary electorate is good news for anyone hoping the general election contrast stays sharp and honest. Let them sort out who they are. We'll be here when the results come in.