Before every election, the various reporting outlets run tests using some quickly fabricated numbers, to make sure they have their procedures and precincts straight. But it’s easy enough to forget this, if you go out of town for a day or two, and then do a quick Google search to see what you missed. Which can lead to a minor coronary when you run across the WCAX headline, “AP-VT-Dem-StSen-Contested.” You know, like you missed it somehow. Like you missed it, and it’s being contested without you being any the wiser.

But that wasn’t the worst thing about stumbling over this test data. No, the worst thing was seeing that whoever threw it together to dry-run the system snuggled this campaign right down in last place, with 3%.

Now, that’s cold-blooded. Can’t even get a little hypothetical love from WCAX.