I think this EJ Dionne column on last week's state and local elections sort of just shows that those elections are different than national elections. Which is why Democrats won them by running like Michael Dukakis. On the local level, a technocratic, problem-solving appeal fits perfectly, because really, who cares about partisanship in Loudon County? It's cliche to say so, but that election really is about potholes and traffic.
Party affiliation is a much weaker predictor of voting behavior on the gubernatorial level than it is on the Congressional level. It's like how a die hard Yankees fan may not actually care that the associated AAA team wins the minor leagues. That's just not ground they've fit into the mental model. And it makes sense: If you accept the analogy that most political junkies watch politics much as they watch sports, then it's logical that they get involved, and invested, in the league that actually has coverage, that's talked about on sports talk radio, that gets obsessed over on cable. This is the coverage that cement partisan loyalties and keeps a junky's interest. Without them, you vote on things like potholes and who has the glossier direct mail. Or, sadly, but more accurately, you don't vote.
