I’ve read all sort of over-interpretation of the results in the wake of yesterday’s gubernatorial elections in Virginia and New Jersey, the congressional election in the New York 23rd district, and various mayoral elections. It wasn’t a referendum on President Obama or on Democrats. Other than Democrats gaining one additional seat in the House or unless in some quirk of fate the governors of New Jersey or Virginia exert some influence over the redistricting that will undoubtedly take place after the 2010 census, the national implications for yesterday’s elections are very, very limited.
Politics remains local and these local races were decided on local reasons.
Winning remains better than losing.
Move on, folks, not much to see here.
Oh, c’mon, Dave, you can’t have the science in political science without data. We have new data. (Even though perhaps one of the conclusions reached by Obama/Biden campaigning in the local elections is that all politics is local)
Personally, I’m much more bitter over what happened in Maine with the same-sex marriage referendum than what happened in a bunch of small, local races. Direct democracy (abetted by an off-year vote and confusing “yes-no” terminology) strikes again.