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Off-Year Specials Often Provide No Tea Leaves

By Nathan L. Gonzales and Josh Kurtz
Roll Call Staff
March 31, 2009, Midnight

Special elections this early in the cycle are generally poor predictors of a party’s future electoral success or failure in the next general. But it doesn’t matter who wins today’s special election in New York’s 20th district, breathless over-analysis will rule the day.

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House Majority Leader Eric Cantor leaves the podium after speaking to reporters at the Republican National Committee following a House Republican Conference meeting at the Capitol Hill Club on Feb. 7.

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