How did Progressive mayors & governors get more politically entrenched than their predecessors?

In the early 1900's, some Progressive mayors and governors became more politically entrenched than the machine politicians that they replaced in office. My understanding is that Progressive's political approach was not a clearly defined approach. It was a style of addressing problems based on having the backing of God and science. It was a belief that the behemoth engines of the new modern society could churn along morally and humanely. So, how did they become more politically entrenched?