For what it's worth, I do not think that a special election - any special election - is a particularly good barometer of the political climate of any place outside the district in question. Factor in low turnout, and sometimes it ... A unique factor facilitating this turnaround was the Conservative Party, a mainstay of New York politics that helps set the electoral agenda in the state. In this case it gave disaffected Republicans an easy outlet to voice their grievances. ...
