Republicans picked up an unlikely vote Tuesday after Bob Turnerhandily defeated David Weprin in New York City for the House seat vacated by Anthony Weiner. Separately, Republican Mark Amodei blew out Democrat Kate Marshall by 21 points in a Nevada special election that at one time was expected to be close. So should Democrats be panicked? Politico has gathered many quotes to that effect, with Democratic aides blaming President Obama’s tanking approval ratings for the defeats. And while Nate Silver cautions that local issues were especially salient in the New York race, he says the combined effect of the two special elections “is starting to look pretty ominous for Democrats.” His takeaway is that “Democrats may still be locked in a 2010-type political environment.”
