Status Quo Election

Bad news for Bush? Well, not really:

Now, it's true that George W. Bush won Virginia by 8 percentage points in 2004, while Republican candidate Jerry Kilgore appears to have lost by 5 points. But if you think Kilgore's loss reflects Bush's weakness and a nightmare for the GOP in 2006, consider this:

Bush won Virginia by eight points in 2000, too — and the following year Democrat Mark Warner became governor with a 5-point margin of victory. The next year, in 2002, Republicans won a stunning midterm victory, taking four Senate seats and expanding their majority in the House of Representatives.

Summing up: In New York City, New Jersey, California, Ohio, and Virginia, voters cast their ballots for as-is governance. No big offices changed party ownership, no initiatives passed. (Except for several banning gay marriage.)

And a Republican picked up Democratic House seat in a special election.

posted by Ace at 12:18 PM

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