The Tide Doesn't Turn In Florida

Democrat Ted Deutch won the nation's first congressional election of 2010, allowing his party to retain the overwhelmingly Democratic Palm Beach-Broward District 19 seat that "fire-breathing liberal" Robert Wexler represented for 13 years.

Incomplete returns late Tuesday showed Deutch with a sizeable lead over Republican Ed Lynch and no-party candidate Jim McCormick. Lynch conceded the race before 10 p.m.

...Even in the aftermath of Republican Scott Brown's shocking January Senate victory in heavily Democratic Massachusetts, few observers saw much chance for a similar Republican upset in congressional District 19, which voted 65 percent for Barack Obama in 2008.

"A closer race would've added to Democratic paranoia about their chances this fall, but the fact that Deutch performed close to the average for a Democrat in the district does not lessen the fact that nationally, GOPers are still likely to enjoy big gains in the general election," said Tim Sahd, editor of Washington-based House Race Hotline.

What does he mean, "close to the average"? Want to bet it's "better than average"? What's more, even if there are small gains people like Sahd (what kinda name is that, anyway? Terrorist?) will call them big gains. For the record (again) my prediction is Democrats will lose some seats to moderate Republicans but retain majorities in both houses.