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• In one state at least, anti-incumbent sentiment is coursing through the electorate, a potentially ominous sign for the incumbent Democratic president seeking a second term and lawmakers of all political stripes. The GOP also remains deeply split between the establishment wing and insurgent tea party, a fissure that underscores the challenge the presumptive Republican presidential nominee and other GOP candidates face in the months ahead to unite the party.
• "We are experiencing deep political divisions in our society right now," Lugar, 80, one of the na

tion's longest-serving senators, said in a statement after the results were known. "These divisions have stalemated progress in critical areas. But these divisions are not insurmountable."
• The loss of Lugar -- who boasted of strong conservative credentials but was lambasted by critics for working with Democrats -- also highlights the degree to which deal-makers are becoming a rarity on a Capitol Hill often consumed by partisan gridlock. He follows Sen. Olympia Snowe, R-Maine, a moderate known for bipartisanship, in leaving the Senate at year's end. Others too, including former Sen. Evan Bayh, D-Ind., have left in recent years.
• Ultimately, it was Lugar's efforts to cross party lines and his longevity in Washington -- two issues that tea party-backed challenger Richard Mourdock used against him -- that proved too much for Indiana Republicans.
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