REPUBLICAN WOMEN TRIUMPH –  AT 8:19 A.M. ET:  Hey wait.  I thought all legitimate women were Democrats.  What changed?

Well, strangely, a lot of women didn't get their orders from Liberal Central.  Meg Whitman will be the GOP candidate for governor of California; Carly Fiorina will be the GOP candidate for U.S. senator from California; Sharron Angle will take on Harry Reid in Nevada; and Nikki Haley, although she must fight a runoff, will almost certainly be the GOP candidate for governor of South Carolina.

We're also happy to say that two Democratic women, Senator Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas, and Congresswoman Jane Harman of California, have won their primaries against challenges from the left.  In Arkansas, Lincon defeated a candidate backed by MoveOn.org and national labor unions.  In California, Harman defeated a challenger who made Joe Stalin look like Barry Goldwater. 

With these results, ancient Gloria Steinem may have to seek political asylum in North Korea.

Not all these women are beloved within their parties.  Nikki Haley, in particular, is no favorite of the South Carolina GOP establishment, which she regularly challenges, Sarah Palin style.  Sharron Angle, in Nevada, needs some coaching in gaffe avoidance.  But the fact that they all won indicates that women refuse to follow the script written in Manhattan and Beverly Hills.  In fact, radical-left women of the old Bella Abzug stripe seem to be in the political shadows.

We'll have more on the primary results later.  But what was clear last night was the sheer enthusiasm on the Republican side.  Final figures aren't in, but turnout in GOP primaries was dramatically higher than usual, a good sign for November.

June 9, 2010