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John McCain's revenge in Greensboro?

No, I don't think Bill Knight really represents a second chance for last year's Republican presidential candidate, who was swamped in Greensboro by Barack Obama.

As Mark notes, Knight and a strong majority of the newly elected City Council members are registered Republicans.

But municipal elections are nonpartisan, and the issues that motivate voters are local.

Still, the N.C. Democratic Party backed Yvonne Johnson, so her surprising defeat wasn't good for that political brand.

The big races nationally, of course, were gubernatorial contests in Virginia and New Jersey -- both won by Republicans after Obama campaigned for the Democratic candidates. That's not an encouraging omen for the White House or congressional Dems.

Then there's New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, an independent who won re-election after spending nearly $100 million in his campaign ... showing that money trumps political affiliation any day.

Johnson's loss can be blamed partly on low turnout in her strongest districts -- 1 and 2 -- which dropped by close to a thousand voters from 2007. But altogether, she collected about 2,100 fewer votes this time around despite an overall increase in the number of voters (thanks to the Cardinal annexation). So there were other things going on.

Some of it probably was partisan, but surely not in a way that reflects on Obama.

I'll bet if he had been on the ballot again today, turnout in Districts 1 and 2 would have picked up enough to put more wind in Johnson's sails.

No matter. Knight obviously got out the vote and earned his victory. Congratulations to him and all the winners. They'll have the chance to put Greensboro on a different course.