As a reminder of unpredictability in politics, consider what happened when the Progressive Change Campaign Committee last month announced that 95 candidates for Congress had signed a pledge to support "net neutrality." The candidates promised: "In Congress, I'll fight to protect Net Neutrality for the entire Internet—wired and wireless—and make sure big corporations aren't allowed to take control of free speech online."

Last week all 95 candidates lost. Opponents of net neutrality chortled, and the advocacy group retreated...