My friend J-Mart writes over in the Politico:

In the only House race that really mattered to both parties — the special election to replace the late Democratic Rep. John Murtha in Pennsylvania’s 12th District — Republicans failed spectacularly, losing on a level playing field where, in this favorable environment, they should have run roughshod over the opposition.

How exactly is it a level playing field when the Democrats have a statewide U.S. Senate primary happening at the same time? There was no comparative factor getting Republicans motivated to interrupt their busy lives to vote. That’s not soreloserdom blogging, it’s just attention to reality. The Democrats were more motivated in this race. This ain’t the end of a trend. It’s just another special election, in a Democratic district, and on a big Democratic primary day. And a Democrat won. Disappointing. But not paradigm-smashing shocking. And not devastating.