TODAY'S SURPRISE?  WELL, MAYBE – AT 7:15 A.M. ET:   The Delaware primary is today, and the hard left is all hot and bothered by the prospect of another upset victory.  From the Virginian-Pilot: 

As outbreaks of antiestablishment activism roil the Democratic Party nationwide, a veteran Delaware political leader who's never been beaten faces a primary election challenge from an insurgent who's never run for office.

Kerri Evelyn Harris, whose resume includes loading giant Air Force cargo planes, frying chicken at a convenience store chain and working as an auto body mechanic, is seeking in Thursday's Democratic primary to unseat three-term incumbent U.S. Sen. Tom Carper, one of the most successful politicians in Delaware history.

"We absolutely are fighting for the soul of the Democrat Party," said Harris.

Carper, undefeated since 1976 when he was first elected state treasurer, is taking it in stride.

"It's not like I've never been primaried before," said Carper, who served five terms in the U.S. House and two as governor before being elected to the Senate in 2000.

Carper has a huge fundraising advantage, having raised more than $1.3 million this year as of mid-August, compared to a little more than $120,000 by Harris. He has far outspent her.

Harris is among a wave of young activist Democrats, emboldened by the 2016 presidential campaign of U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont. They have sent shock waves through the party establishment around the U.S., starting in June with a New York primary victory by 28-year-old Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez over 10-term incumbent Rep. Joe Crowley. Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum, 39, riding an insurgent wave, scored a stunning victory last week in Florida's Democratic gubernatorial primary. And on Tuesday, Boston City Councilor Ayanna Pressley beat longtime Rep. Mike Capuano in a closely watched Democratic primary.

Now, it's the 38-year-old Harris' turn in the spotlight, a place she never expected to be.

Born in New York to a biracial couple, Harris attended high school in California before joining the Air Force. She worked as a loadmaster at Dover Air Force Base until 2008, when she was medically retired after suffering an adverse reaction to the anthrax vaccine. She then worked a variety of jobs and served on the state Human Relations Commission before becoming a political organizer.
Last year, after trying unsuccessfully to find someone to challenge Carper, she took on the job herself.

"This is a fight to prove that we are a party of the people," said Harris. She has painted Carper, 71, as an out-of-touch career politician doing the bidding of corporations and their political action committees.

Carper, meanwhile, sees himself as a centrist able to work in a bipartisan way.

COMMENT:  We'll be watching the returns tonight.  Most of the cases where "progressives" have unseated moderates have had extenuating circumstances that made the victories possible.  If a hard leftist can win in Delaware, that would be big news.  Odds are against it.

September 6, 2018