44-year old Ayanna Pressley wins the 'Kennedy seat' ...something's happening here.

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35. it's not just a 'story,' Democratic voters are changing in many regions

...those folks who are actually showing up to vote.

WP:

Millennials — who range in age from 22 to 37, according to the Pew Research Center — are on the cusp of becoming the largest generation in the United States. They are more left-leaning than their parents and grandparents and are therefore more likely to back Democrats. But they are also the most racially and ethnically diverse generation, and many of have vocalized the importance of being represented by people who look like them.

Or, as Pressley put it in her victory speech: “It’s not just good enough to see the Democrats back in power. It matters who those Democrats are."

https://www.npr.org/2018/09/04/644700516/ayanna-pressleys-surprise-upset-shows-women-of-color-s-power-in-democratic-polit
NPR]:

Pressley's victory is indicative of the the broader success of female Democrats this election cycle. She joins a number of other black women who've won their primaries this year, including Stacey Abrams, who's running for governor in Georgia, Lauren Underwood, running for a congressional seat in Illinois, and Jahana Hayes, who's also running for a seat in Congress from Connecticut.

The Democratic Party has referred to African-American women as the backbone of the party, but in recent years, some black organizers have expressed frustration that the party has not invested in recruiting black candidates. Pressley's victory is a sign that organizers and activists are no longer willing to wait for the party's blessing.

It's also a sign that issues of representation rather than ideology are motivating voters in Democratic primaries.

NYT:

Ms. Pressley unseated a 10-term congressman in a campaign supported largely by minorities, immigrants and college students. And she did so without the backing of key Democrats like Representative John Lewis of Georgia or former Gov. Deval Patrick of Massachusetts, both of whom endorsed her white opponent. Now Ms. Pressley is poised to become the state’s first nonwhite member of the House of Representatives.

Consider too Andrew Gillum’s victory in the Democratic nomination for Florida governor on Aug. 28. Florida Democrats and liberal donors like George Soros and Tom Steyer supported him over more centrist candidates. Mr. Gillum was also heavily endorsed by young black activists across the state, particularly the Dream Defenders who cut their teeth on protests around the killing of Trayvon Martin in 2012.

Unapologetically left in his orientation, Mr. Gillum has rejected the idea that he needs centrist Democratics to win. His sights are set on young people and progressive voters. Stacey Abrams of Georgia, whose strategy is similar, has a good chance to become the state’s first black female governor. Ben Jealous, the former head of the N.A.A.C.P., is vying to become Maryland’s first black governor, winning the state’s Democratic nomination by running to the left of his opponent.

We can also see this shift in big cities like Cleveland, Chicago and, recently, St. Louis County, which have elected prosecutors who are friendly with the Black Lives Matter movement. This summer, Wesley Bell, a City Council member from Ferguson, Mo. defeated Robert McCulloch, the seven-term St. Louis County prosecutor who was widely criticized for his handling of the Michael Brown killing.

Beyond historic firsts, this new class of candidates is pushing the Democratic party further left. And they also represent the new political power of black progressives who defy stereotypes of black politicians as wedded to respectability politics and unwilling to take on issues of people who live on the margins of the black community. It’s clear that the era of centrist black politicians is on the wane. The time of black progressives is in ascent.