In the first big disappointment for the GOP, if not quite a surprise, NBC is projecting Joe Manchin the winner in West Virginia. There may be a silver lining here for conservatives, as Manchin will either break his word on every campaign promise or become one of the chamber’s most conservative Democrats.

Also disappointing but not surprising: The projected victory of Chris Coons in Delaware.

GOP control of the Senate is not quite impossible to imagine, but just short.