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Tomorrow is the special election in Massachusetts' Fifth Congressional District, pitting Democrat Niki Tsgonas against Republican Jim Ogonowski. (I've written about the race here.) Early polls showed the Tsongas-Ogonowski contest closer than expected. If Ogonowski pulls an upset or comes close, it will help create a narrative of Republican recovery. If Tsongas wins handily, it will feed into the mantra of Democrats triumphing over the GOP's weakened brand.

Both interpretations should obviously be taken with a grain of salt, but one recent development is interesting -- if ultimately probably not that important to the outcome. Dave Weigel notes that the Boston Herald and the Lowell Sun endorsed Tsongas over Ogonowski. Both papers endorsed President Bush over native son John Kerry in 2004, and they both usually endorse competitive Republicans. Do the editors think Ogonowski is unlikely to win? Or did he not perform well in the editorial page interviews?