Today's Tea Leaves

Yesterday was a 'first Tuesday in November' and therefore an election day.

The Missippi and Kentucky results say little really. Virginia's show the continuing shift of the state toward's Blue status (next year they will elct another Democrat , GT12 fave Mark Warner, Senator). New Jersey's results are a relief but the state will tough for Dems in a Hillary/Rudy contest.

Election Results

In Kentucky, two decades after his first run for governor led to defeat, Steve Beshear (D) unseated incumbent Gov. Ernie Fletcher (R), who was never able to recover from a hiring scandal early in his term, Governing reports.

In Mississippi, Republican Gov. Haley Barbour easily won his reelection bid, according to CQ Politics.

In Virginia, Democrats gained four seats held by Republicans to seize control of the state Senate for the first time in 12 years, the Virginian-Pilot reports.

In New Jersey, Democrats retained control of both houses of the legislature, expanding their lead in the Senate and holding on to their margin in the Assembly, the Hackensack Record reports.

Meanwhile, Greg Ballard (R) pulled off what he and many others are calling “the biggest upset in Indiana political history,” to defeat Indianapolis mayor Bart Peterson (D), according to the Indianapolis Star. Just two months ago, most thought Peterson would have an easy race for re-election.

Of perverse interest to GT12 was this tidbit

COLUMBUS, Ohio - State Rep. Bob Latta narrowly defeated a like-minded conservative rival early Wednesday following a rancorous campaign to represent the GOP in the heavily Republican congressional district vacated by the late Paul Gillmor.

Latta, receiving more than 32,000 votes, or roughly 44 percent, defeated State Sen. Steve Buehrer, who received just under 29,400 votes, or 40 percent, according to unofficial returns with 100 percent of precincts reporting.

Latta will now face Democrat Robin Weirauch, who cruised to victory in the Democratic primary, in the Dec. 11 general election. In the 2006 election, Weirauch received the most votes in her party's history in the 5th District — which has been held by a Republican since the 1930s.

I grew up in Ohio's fifth District. Latta's moron of a father, Delbert, was my representative while growing up. As a member of the judiciary committee during the investigation of Nixon he was every bit the blind loyalist that anyone on FauxNews is today. I particularly remember him Piling up all the evidence books on his congressional desk and stating 'There is Nothing HERE!' and this was after the smoking gun tape ...

I was 16. Two years later, n 1976, the first year I could vote, voting against Delbert Latta was a more moving experience than voting for Jimmy Carter, a man who I campaigned for and had the chance to meet.