If Ned Lamont wins tonight, it'll feel really good. For about 5 minutes - and then the media will start spinning it according to the narrative they're setting up for this election season. "Radical" Democrats who happen to represent about 60% of the country, including obviously the middle, against "conservative" Republicans.
Notwithstanding that a majority of the country is strongly with Lamont and the Dems on the war(s).
I think progressives have to be ready to build on this moment, and focus on candidates like Webb and Tester (but especially Webb) next. Because they basically cannot be smeared as "antisecurity liberals." Because it would be great to be able to pick off a strong Republican Presidential candidate -- George Felix Allen -- the way the Repubs can neutralize a lot of ours.
It would be nice to disrupt the media narrative about Lamont. I think a good way to counter that is to focus on a Red-state race like in Virginia or Montana. To show them we can hit with the left or the right.