Republicans easily win two separate special elections!

Declared dead not long ago the Republican Party just yesterday won two special elections, one in Tennessee and one in Oklahoma.  It appears with these two victories the GOP is on a roll!

With the special election in Tennessee House District 62 now in the books, the real political surprise from that campaign comes not merely in the victory for Republican Pat Marsh, but in its size and scale:  Marsh, with an unofficial total of 4,931 votes district-wide (56 percent), defeated Democratic nominee Ty Cobb, with 3,663 votes (41 percent), and Constitution Party candidate Chris Brown, with 255 (3 percent). Some Democrats,doubtless not a few liberals in the Tennessee blogosphere, will attempt to spin this result in a myriad of ways, but however one might choose to define its meaning, a 15-percentage point difference in an off-year legislative special election involving the incumbent's brother is a thorough shellacking. If the press wants to discuss bellwethers, this vote didn't look good at all for Tennessee Democrats. Pat Marsh ran, by all accounts, a decent campaign but not a great one. A great campaign is what a candidate would normally need to upend an opponent with a strong family name in an area prone to putting families in positions of authority, not to mention being a Republican in a constituency that almost routinely sends a Democrat-even a conservative one-to the Tennessee House of Representatives.  Read the entire story here.

And in Oklaholma the Republican Party picked up another seat to further pad their already large majority in the State House of Representatives:

Russ won 56 percent of the vote in a largely Democratic district. House District 55, held by a Democrat since 1965. Democrats outnumber Republicans by a 2-1 margin in the district, which covers Washita County and parts of Caddo, Canadian and Kiowa counties.  Russ, 48, will succeed Ryan McMullen, a Democrat, who resigned the House seat in July to take a federal post. Russ, a member of the Cordell City Council, will resign his city post before taking his oath as a state legislator.  The Republican State Leadership Committee, the nation’s largest caucus of Republican state leaders, issued a statement congratulating Russ for his win. “His victory in this overwhelmingly Democratic district sends a clear message that individuals want the ability to determine their own destiny by electing state leaders who understand the importance of a limited government,” said Republican State Leadership Committee President Scott Ward.  “During these challenging economic times, Todd will get to work with his colleagues in the Oklahoma House to ensure that elected leaders help create an environment where the economy can grow and individuals prosper.” Russ’ special election victory is the 20th win for Republicans in state legislative special elections across the country the November elections, according to the Republican State Leadership Committee. Its goal is to elect Republicans to the office of attorney general, lieutenant governor, secretary of state and state legislator.  Read the entire story here.