Democrats see good news in primary results

[RiverStone]

Source: Reuters

(Reuters) - After hearing months of dire political predictions, President Barack Obama's Democrats took heart on Wednesday from primary results that spared an endangered senator and highlighted Republican Party divisions ahead of November's elections.

Democratic Senator Michael Bennet's primary win in Colorado bucked a national anti-incumbent trend and was good news for Obama, who campaigned for Bennet in a bitter fight against a challenger backed by former President Bill Clinton.

Republicans, meanwhile, saw candidates backed by the party establishment go down to defeat to outsiders in Colorado and Connecticut Senate primaries that could complicate their chances in November.

"Democrats definitely had the better night," analyst Jennifer Duffy of the nonpartisan Cook Political Report said. "Pulling an incumbent back from the edge of defeat in an environment like this is a good result."

Democrats have been battling a strong anti-Washington and anti-incumbent voter mood in their quest to retain control of the House of Representatives and the Senate in November.

Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE67A0BF20100811

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We could use some good news! :)

[FLAprogressive]

1. "good news" is in the eye of the beholder. Establishment Dems won....whoopeedo

I will give Repubs credit, they're willing to primary people.

[savalez]

2. What "anti-incumbent trend"?

I for one am not convinced there is really a substantial "anti-incumbent trend". Sounds more and more like a BS MSM narrative to me.

Anyway. Congrats to Obama for backing the winner. Sorry Bill.

[moose65]

3. There IS an anti-incumbent trend.....

But it's more along the lines of "I love MY Senator/Representative, but YOU should vote yours out." Seems as if the masses want to toss out a bunch of incumbents, but we only get to vote for 1 Senator and 1 Representative. Our feelings about other states' representatives don't matter in the least - we don't get to vote against Bachmann, Angle, Fiorina, etc.

[Tempest]

4. It doesn't exist except in the minds of the deluded and deceived

So far this year, 282 federal-level incumbents have been up for re-election. Of those, only six have lost their seats—four in the House and two in the Senate.

http://www.slate.com/id/2262668

[nyy1998]

5. Considering the Washington-based senators lost primaries in Utah, Texas, and Pennsylvania

It forced Senators such as Dodd, Martinez, Bunning, Bond, Bayn, and Voinovich to retire(although Voinovich might have legitimately retire because of "age" or "family" etc)