In the past six years, there have been three national elections, each of them producing a wave, in which races up and down the ballot moved in generally the same direction. Democrats won big in 2006 and 2008, only to see those gains reversed in the mid-term election of 2010.
This year, however, the better analogy in many states may be a breeze. The presidential contest will ripple the waters but not necessarily determine which way they flow. [cont.]
Karen Tumulty, Washington Post