FiveThirtyEight's analysis of Ayanna Pressley's win.

[fishwax]

27. she wouldn't have run for *this* if HRC was president b/c there would be no margin in

challenging a secure democratic seat in the primary. Had HRC been elected, the party's approach to the fall elections would be very different. We wouldn't be expecting the energy that we expect now, because victory brings a higher tendency towards complacency, whereas dealing with the disaster-in-chief provides a powerful motivation and incentive to demonstrate some electoral might in the midterms. If HRC had won we wouldn't see as many primary candidates opposing established party members. The reasons Pressley challenged Capuano wouldn't likely be as compelling in a world where HRC was president as they are in trumpland. I think that's the point the poster is trying to make.

It's not to say that she wouldn't still have been a great candidate or wouldn't have found another opportunity to move forward in her career, but this particular opportunity at this particular moment is a function of the disaster of the trump election.