Republican Wins Bellwether Election in Florida - thus begins midterm panic of 2014
BREAKING: Republican Wins Bellwether Special Election in Florida
Guy Benson | Mar 11, 2014
http://media.townhall.com/townhall/r...CS-FLORIDA.JPG
And thus begins the midterm panic of '14:
https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images...ogo_normal.jpgThe Associated Press ✔ @AP
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BREAKING: Republican David Jolly wins Fla. congressional special election in test race over health care.
7:48 PM - 11 Mar 2014
This seat was previously held by a long-serving Republican, but Barack Obama carried it twice, the Republican nominee was far from flawless, and the Democratic nominee enjoyed a wide name ID advantage from her gubernatorial run. Many experts saw this race as Alex Sink's to lose. She ran on a "fix, don't repeal, Obamacare" platform. She lost. Break out the tea leaves:
https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images...tch_normal.jpgDave Wasserman @Redistrict
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Looks like Jolly's night. If Dems couldn't win an Obama CD with a solid candidate against a flawed R, expect a rough November.
7:22 PM - 11 Mar 2014
https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images...up2_normal.JPGChuck Todd ✔ @chucktodd
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It's way GOP held FL13 that is so troublesome for Dems. Flawed underfunded cand wins, propped up by outside money aimed at health care
7:50 PM - 11 Mar 2014
https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images...aar_normal.jpgJosh Kraushaar @HotlineJosh
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Tale of the tape: Dems outspent Republicans in #FL13, and had clear field for their candidate. O won 50%, Sink 46% http://www.nationaljournal.com/hotline-on-call/republican-wins-bellwether-florida-special-election-20140311 …
8:07 PM - 11 Mar 2014
https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images...aar_normal.jpgJosh Kraushaar @HotlineJosh
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Tale of the tape: Dems outspent Republicans in #FL13, and had clear field for their candidate. O won 50%, Sink 46% http://www.nationaljournal.com/hotline-on-call/republican-wins-bellwether-florida-special-election-20140311 …
8:07 PM - 11 Mar 2014
https://o.twimg.com/1/proxy.jpg?t=FQ...YE-8khI-6NQflURepublican Wins Bellwether Florida Special Election
Lobbyist David Jolly wins a closely-contested race, fueled by his opposition to the president's health care law.
https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images...3d_normal.jpegLarry Sabato @LarrySabato
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Yes, FL-13 will be over-interpreted like most specials, but tonite Rs have to feel pretty good about picking UP seats in Nov.
8:01 PM - 11 Mar 2014
ABC News' Rick Klein spelled out the stakes of this races earlier today. Democratsare spinning this loss, but the can't escape certain realities:
Tonight, it’s the Democrats with all the expectations to meet. That’s because they have more questions to answer this year, about their ability to message around Obamacare and Social Security, and make the case against Republicans in a district with divided tendencies. Democrats won’t have candidates as seasoned or well-funded as Alex Sink everywhere. And they know privately at least that they’re looking at a dismal 2014 if they can’t win districts like this one.
Polls showed a tight race with Sinkleading Jolly by two points. Jolly took the race by two points, riding a double-digit election day wave that overcameSink's modest early voting edge. This race was a referendum on Obamacare. In an Obama district. In a swing state. With a well-funded, seasoned Democratic candidate. Political handicapper Stu Rothenberg called it a "must win" for Democrats. And now we have Congressman David Jolly (R-FL). Yes, special elections can be sui generis in nature, and Democrats won a contested special in 2010 before getting swamped a few months later. But for Democrats, this result cannot be ignored. I'll leave you with one of the ads that ran against sink over the last few weeks:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ah40gwIYm00
UPDATE - Oh, Debbie:
https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images...a6d_normal.png Gabriel Malor @gabrielmalor
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Bless your heart. MT @DWStweets: The GOP underperformed tonight in the #FL13 - a district they've held for decades.
8:46 PM - 11 Mar 2014
http://townhall.com/tipsheet/guybenson/2014/03/11/boom-republican-wins-bellwether-special-election-in-florida-n1807582?utm_source=thdailypm&utm_medium=email&utm _campaign=nl_pm