Not an overwhelming victory, but still a win. Estes failed to get his voters out in the same percentages that Thompson did. It was a special election, which usually pushes voter participation down, but still, Estes needs to do a better job of getting the GOP voters to turn out.
From the NYT:
But after internal Republican polling last week revealed Mr. Estes’s lead was in only the single digits, the national party scrambled to rescue his campaign — and effectively conceded that even seats in the reddest corners of the United States are not safe at a time when Democrats are so energized against Mr. Trump.
While Mr. Thompson fell short, his unexpected strength represents a warning shot toward Republicans. And it will galvanize Democrats’ candidate-recruitment efforts for next year’s campaign.
The surging energy on the left was on display on Tuesday night when the early and absentee vote returns were tallied in the district’s largest county and revealed Mr. Thompson to have staked out a considerable lead. But Mr. Estes overcame that deficit thanks to his strength in the more rural parts of the district and among Election Day voters.
That sounds vaguely familiar. I can't quite place it...
In any event, Estes ends up winning by 9%? That seems pretty respectable, all in all...