Well, Rand Paul trounced Trey Grayson, Mark Critz beat Tim Burns, and Joe Sestak defeated the longest-serving senator in Pennsylvania history, while Blanche Lincoln will face Bill Halter in a runoff election. Are these races connected? The first law of punditry says you have to find a theme. But every time I go searching for a theme, I come up short.
Was last night’s election a victory for Democrats? It’s too early to tell. Holding on to PA12 was surely a big win. Joe Sestak may be a relatively stronger candidate in the general election against Pat Toomey. Rand Paul may be a relatively weaker candidate than Trey Grayson (though I’m not so sure — he certainly has an extremely enthusiastic base). Then again, Rep. John Boozman, who avoided a runoff, seems a likely bet to defeat either Lincoln or Halter. The GOP could sweep all three Senate contests come November. We won’t know whether it’s a victory for the Democrats or the Republicans until Election Day.
