Democrat wins first special federal election since passage of healthcare reform

The first special election for U.S. Representative since the passage of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act has been won by a Democrat, according to unofficial results from Broward and Palm Beach counties.

In the contest to succeed Robert Wexler, who resigned from Congress to head the Center for Middle East Peace and Economic Cooperation, Democrat Ted Deutch has triumphed over Republican Ed Lynch, who conceded defeat earlier this evening.

Now, the South Florida district that Wexler represented is very Democratic - it voted for Al Gore, John Kerry, and Barack Obama by sizable margins - so Deutch's victory isn't a shocker. Still, it puts a damper on Republican claims that voters desperately want to boot Democrats out of power, as Deutch himself pointed out in his victory speech to supporters at the Mizner Park Cultural Arts Center:

Let me just make one more point that cannot be lost in the results from today. We heard for months that tonight and today is a referendum. It’s a referendum on health care. It’s a referendum on the administration. It’s a referendum on the direction this country is going. Let me tell you something: What we learned today is that in Broward County and Palm Beach County Florida, the Democratic Party is alive and well.

Congratulations, Representative-elect Deutch, for a well-deserved victory.