Establishment in Trouble? A Definite Maybe

Pundits looking to wrap up last night's election results in a tidy little bow got thrown for a loop, writes Dan Balz in the Washington Post. The establishment vs. outsiders theme yielded at best a "mixed verdict." John McCain proved an establishment figure can prevail, while Lisa Murkowski's tight race in Alaska against the "underfunded" and Palin-backed Joe Miller sent the opposite message.

As for Florida, Kendrick Meek scored one for the establishment in the Senate race, while gubernatorial candidate Rick Scott notched one for the newcomers. Despite the mixed results, "there is little to suggest that voter disaffection with Washington is dissipating or that Republican energy and enthusiasm are weakening," writes Balz. "The question is whether some embattled Democratic incumbents have had enough time to prepare for the tests they will face this fall." (More midterm elections stories.)