So where does Mitt Romney go from here?

There's no question that Tuesday's defeat of Romney's lieutenant governor, Kerry Healey, at the hands of former Clinton Administration official Deval Patrick represented a repudiation of Romney's social conservatism by liberal voters in the Bay State. Massachusetts residents, long accustomed to fiscally restrained, socially
"progressive" GOP governors like Bill Weld, Paul Cellucci and Frank Sargent, never really accepted Romney's traditionalist take on issues such as same-sex marriage--and made their feelings known by lashing out against Romney's second-in-command(despite the fact that she also held some "progressive" social views).

However, Healey's loss may not ultimately impact Romney's viability as a Presidential contender in 2008. While Patrick's supporters specifically wanted Healey to lose so as to derail Romney's Presidential hopes, it's hard to see Republican primary voters sharing the Bay State's negative assessment of Romney. If anything, the GOP base will regard such anti-Romney sentiment as little more than "moonbat Massachusetts" spitting venom upon anyone with a conservative point of view.

Romney has been a controversial figure in Massachusetts, but not for his leadership skills. While some have faulted him for not spending enough time in the state, he did work to improve the Commonwealth's economy and showed no fear in challenging the state's overwhelmingly Democrat power structure. While the state could never stomach his supposedly unusual social beliefs, it's hard to dismiss his effectiveness as governor.

Romney left the state of Massachusetts in a far better condition than when he found it. Despite the results of Tuesday's gubernatorial election, voters in 2008 are still likely to conclude that he'll make similar improvements for the country as a whole.