Democrats gained a seat yesterday in the U.S. House in a special election to fill the seat of Republican Bill Janklow, the former South Dakota governor who accidently killed someone by running a red light. The race was fairly close, and will be replayed in the fall between the now-incumbent, Democrat Stephanie Herseth, and a Republican state legislator, Larry Diedrich.

As usual, the Washington types are trying to spin the result. A harbinger of things to come? An exceptional case?

Who knows?