Georgia House Race Wasn't That Special

Congratulations to the two newest members of the House, both Republicans: Karen Handel from Georgia and Ralph Norman from South Carolina.

The Georgia race -- which got the bulk of the attention and record-breaking money -- is a clear victory for the Republicans. Individual seats are important! My guess is that most experts would have considered Handel a moderate favorite to defend the seat successfully in 2018. Yes, Democrats will point out that they didn't need this one; there are quite a few targets that lean less strongly to Republicans. That's true, but this one was an open seat (giving them a better chance than those in which a Republican incumbent runs). And anyway, parties don't win the House by winning the 24 (what the Democrats need) easiest seats; they fail to win some with a better partisan balance and pick off a few that look difficult going in.