And that will be true whether or not it leads voters to punish the Democrats.

Her victory suggests that voters will not punish candidates for drawing a modest salary to campaign full time.

But amid cuts, all parties fear that voters would punish them for siphoning resources their own way.

But that's very different from saying that the election proves that voters will punish supporters of health-care reform.

In other states, voters punished candidates for governor whom they associated with higher taxes.

Lawmakers seem to be betting that voters will not punish them for inaction.

The voters may punish the President or his party at the polls.

Sooner or later, they contend, the voters will punish the Democrats for the Lewinsky scandal.

Democratic legislators would begin to worry that voters might punish the entire party for the governor's failings, leaving him with few allies and little leverage.

Republicans counted on that disappointment to lead voters to punish the Democrats next month.