… It’s always a little problematic reading national import into the results of odd-year elections, just because there are so few of them. … Still, these elections offer larger meanings, chiefly in what they say about the political shape of the two parties a year before their presidential nominees face the voters. Offyear elections can also show the impact of a president’s popularity, or lack of it—specifically, the effect of President Obama’s approval ratings on Democratic fortunes now and into next year. CONT.
Charlie Cook