Outside a polling centre in Milwaukee on the morning of August 11th, Sabley Sabin looks deflated(沮丧的，泄气的). “I didn’t vote with my heart,” says the retired social worker, who has just cast her ballot(投票) in Wisconsin’s Democratic primary for governor. Calling mainstream Democrats “wusses(懦夫，胆小鬼)”, she preferred Francesca Hong, an insurgent(反叛的，起义的) Democratic Socialist. But she voted for David Crowley. She reckons the moderate Milwaukee County executive has a better shot at(有更好的机会做某事) building the coalition(联盟，联合体) needed to win an election in a swing state like Wisconsin.
8月11日上午，在密尔沃基的一个投票中心外，萨布丽·萨宾显得垂头丧气。“我没有凭良心投票，”这位退休社工说，她刚刚在威斯康星州民主党州长初选中投下选票。她称主流民主党人为“懦夫”，更倾向于支持弗朗西斯卡·洪，一位反叛的民主社会主义者。但她投票给了戴维·克劳利。她认为这位温和的密尔沃基县行政长官更有机会建立必要的联盟，在威斯康星这样的摇摆州赢得选举。
Other Wisconsinites seemed to share Ms Sabin’s calculation(盘算，算计). For weeks polls had shown Ms Hong poised to win(稳操胜券，准备好获胜) by double digits(以两位数的优势). In the end, Mr Crowley defeated her—though by a mere 3,783 votes. His victory suggests that appeals to moderation and electability(可当选性) still matter, especially in swing states. But Ms Hong’s near-win in spite of(尽管) her considerable political baggage(包袱，累赘) points to a Democratic coalition that remains angry, restless and increasingly receptive to populist-left(民粹主义左翼) candidates.
其他威斯康星州人似乎也认同萨宾女士的盘算。数周以来，民调显示洪女士以两位数优势稳操胜券。最终，克劳利先生击败了她——尽管仅以3783票的微弱优势。他的胜利表明，对温和与可当选性的呼吁仍然重要，尤其是在摇摆州。但洪女士在背负沉重政治包袱的情况下险些获胜，表明民主党联盟仍然愤怒、不安，且越来越接受民粹主义左翼候选人。
There were reasons to think Wisconsin might be fertile ground(沃土，有利的环境) for a candidate like Ms Hong. The state has a long progressive(进步主义的) tradition. Robert La Follette(罗伯特·拉福莱特，美国进步主义政治家), a Wisconsin governor who assailed(抨击，攻击) corporate power, helped start the Progressive Party in the early 20th century. Milwaukee, the state’s biggest city, elected a string of(一连串，一系列) “sewer socialists(下水道社会主义者，注重市政建设的社会主义者)” as mayor between 1910 and 1960. The moniker(绰号，名字) reflected the priority they gave to municipal(市政的，地方的) improvements, such as public sanitation, rather than(而不是) to class struggle.
有理由认为威斯康星州可能是像洪女士这样的候选人的沃土。该州有着悠久的进步主义传统。罗伯特·拉福莱特，一位抨击企业权力的威斯康星州州长，在20世纪初帮助创立了进步党。该州最大城市密尔沃基在1910年至1960年间选举了一系列“下水道社会主义者”担任市长。这个绰号反映了他们对市政改善（如公共卫生）的重视，而非阶级斗争。
