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Keller: Few surprises in Massachusetts and New Hampshire on Election Day

What message voters sent with surprising election results
What message voters sent with surprising election results 03:56

The opinions expressed below are Jon Keller's, not those of WBZ, CBS News or Paramount Global.

BOSTON – If you were looking for surprises, the 2024 election likely wasn't for you.

Massachusetts and New Hampshire elections

In New Hampshire, the status quo held. Republicans held onto the governor's office, with Kelly Ayotte successfully playing the anti-tax card against Joyce Craig and mining the old canard about "satanic" Massachusetts threatening to invade and befoul its pristine northern neighbors.

In Massachusetts, Elizabeth Warren breezed. And with a victory for Question 2 eliminating the MCAS as a graduation requirement, the Massachusetts Teachers Association proved once again who really controls education policy here. (Hint: it isn't the governor.)

What national results mean

The long-running cycle of disgruntled/nihilistic voters reacting to adversity by throwing out the incumbent party in the White House was also right on schedule.

Check your favorite betting app for odds on sweeping Republican losses in 2026 and, perhaps, 2028.

This is the way we roll in America these days. Short attention spans spawn low-information voters who don't remember what happened 15 minutes ago. Even those who do make an effort to know the facts have the patience of toddlers with long-term projects like education reform.

And everybody is furious with each other and - by extension - with themselves for whatever reason is handy at any given moment.

After the venting and finger-pointing clears, there will be a period of prolonged national self-reflection that will result in profound political changes, right?

Maybe....not. Venting and finger-pointing are our new national pastimes.

And if that comes as a surprise, you might want to pay closer attention.

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