Democrats and their media allies have predictably seized on the Republican defeat in a special election in upstate New York as evidence of a broader backlash against Rep. Paul Ryan’s plan to reform Medicare. But Republicans shouldn’t be goaded into running away from the only serious proposal to tackle the nation’s debt crisis based on the results of a single special election.

In 2009 and 2010, Republicans suffered a string of defeats in special elections, and at the time, the media thought those defeats raised questions about the GOP’s strength going into the midterms. For instance, in October 2009, the Hill ran a story headlined, “Dismal special election record could hamper Republicans’ 2010 comeback.” Of course, Republicans gained 63 House seats in November 2010.