Can a left-wing wave in the United States begin south of the border? Bad news from Nicaragua:

MANAGUA, Nicaragua, Nov. 6 — Daniel Ortega, the former Marxist president and nemesis of President Ronald Reagan, appears to have won back Nicaragua’s top job.

With 62 percent of precincts reporting, Ortega was comfortably leading the field of five presidential contenders with 39 percent of the vote, virtually ensuring him a first-round win under Nicaragua’s electoral rules.