The Democrats lost a special election tonight in Florida’s 13th District. It probably doesn’t mean much, at least, that’s what some smart Republicans were arguing when they thought they were going to lose the seat. It was actually an interesting campaign with a lot of story lines, but the main reason it is a disappointment is because the polls showed a persistent (if narrow) edge for Alex Sink, the Democratic candidate. So, it’s an upset.
Yet, it’s an historically Republican district, and the only reason that the Democrats were so hopeful is because they had the superior candidate, they did well with early voting, and because they believed the polls.
It looks like they got thumped on Election Day voting, and that’s the turnout problem that Democrats have to deal with in off-year elections. The margin is close enough, just a few thousand votes, that this district is easily winnable in November. So, not a good showing by the Dems, but maybe it will help them learn some lessons for the general.
