Statement of Third Way President Jon Cowan on the Virginia Democratic Primary

WASHINGTON—Third Way issued the following statement from President Jon Cowan:

“National Democrats should pay attention to what happened in Virginia tonight. A passionate moderate soundly beat a liberal populist who had ample resources and the most prominent populist endorsements in the country.

“The lesson is that liberal populism is not what Democratic voters are seeking in purple and red regions. Tom Perriello deserves praise for raising important issues and running a positive campaign. But he was too populist for the state.

“If Democrats are to have a successful 2018 and begin to stop the madness of Donald Trump, the lesson of Virginia is to not force an agenda that works in the bluest parts of the country onto the places with ideologically diverse voters. It just won’t work, and the stakes for failure are just too high.”