By Barb Shelly, Kansas City Star editorial page columnist

I don't think either Republican or Democratic stalwarts should be greatly cheered by Tuesday's election returns. But maybe Americans should be, as the results showed voters pretty much holding to the political center.

Virginia went Republican, big time, but that's pretty much a return to politics as usual.

New Jersey rebuffed an unimpressive Democratic governor in favor of an unimpressive Republican. But the Democrats held their legislative majority.

In upstate New York's 23rd Congressional District, the tea party Republican lost out to a conservative Democrat. That one I was happy to see. Conservative candidate Doug Hoffman ranted on about Nancy Pelosi, but couldn't say much about local issues. Voters saw through that.

A law allowed gay marriage was tossed out by a referendum in Maine, but the margin was 52-48. The gap there is definitely closing from the lopsided votes we saw just a few years ago. And Washington State appears to have approved a referendum expanding domestic partner benefits.

Others will analyze the returns much better and more thoroughly than me, but I don't see a big angry wave out of this election. Issues matter more than ideology.

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