Progressives tout string of wins across US as template for Democrats

Victories in Chicago and St Louis, plus a key judicial race in Wisconsin, argue against tacking to center, leftwingers say

Progressives in the midwest had three reasons to celebrate on Tuesday. In Wisconsin, the liberal judge Janet Protasiewicz delivered a resounding victory in the state supreme court race, flipping control of the court for the first time in 15 years. In Chicago, the progressive mayoral candidate Brandon Johnson prevailed over Paul Vallas, a more conservative Democrat who ran on a tough-on-crime message. And in St Louis, progressives won a majority of seats on the board of aldermen, the lawmaking body for the city.

As they took their victory lap, progressives made clear that they viewed the wins as merely the beginning of a broader trend in America's elections.