Until Tuesday this week, Joe Biden’s malaise as US president had been theoretical. Poor approval ratings, stalled legislation: these are setbacks, not mortal wounds. That came dangerously close to changing when a Republican, Glenn Youngkin, won the governorship of a state that Biden swept by 10 points last year.

Surveying the wreckage in Virginia, Democrats have various consolations available to them. For one, this off-year election is no predictor of a party’s showing when it matters. The Republicans won in 2009, only to lose the presidential contest three years later. For another, the economic bounce of the spring was always liable to fade, as fiscal help wore off.

Still, it would be a foolish party that did not feel chastened. The swing against the Democrats on the same night in New Jersey, a far bluer state, suggests a national, not just local, problem. The work of fixing it begins now.