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In blow to Obama, Republicans win vital state race
Source: Agencies |
November 4, 2009, Wednesday
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REPUBLICANS wrested the Virginia governor's seat from Democrats yesterday and vied for another in New Jersey, troubling signs for President Barack Obama and his party ahead of next year's congressional elections.
Republican Gov.-elect Bob McDonnell's victory in Virginia over Democrat R. Creigh Deeds was a triumph for a Republican Party looking to rebuild after being booted from power in national elections in 2006 and 2008.
It also was a setback for Obama in a swing state that was a crucial part of his electoral landslide just a year ago. The president had campaigned personally for Deeds.
In New Jersey , Gov. Jon Corzine, a billionaire former Wall Street executive, was struggling to hold onto his seat in a three-way race. An Associated Press exit poll showed that race was too close to call. Democrats consider New Jersey a stronghold.
The outcomes of the two races were watched closely for hints about the attitudes of American voters and whether the diverse coalition that sent Obama to the White House remains intact.
The Republican victory in Virginia, where a Democrat had held the governor's seat, could energize a party that has lost back-to-back national elections, just as it seeks to raise money and recruit candidates to prepare for next year's election.
Still, yesterday's impact on Obama's standing and on the 2010 elections can be overstated. Only two of the 50 US states were holding gubernatorial elections. Voters often were focused on local issues and local personalities. Indeed, most people in Virginia and New Jersey said their ballot choices were not based on their feelings about Obama.
Yet national issues, such as the economic recession, clearly were a factor, with voter attitudes shaped to some degree by how people felt about the state of their nation.
It also was difficult to separate Obama from the outcomes after he devoted much time working to persuade voters to elect Deeds and re-elect Corzine, who was in a three-way race with Republican Chris Christie and independent Chris Daggett.
Obama campaigned for both Democrats and was featured in their advertisements. He characterized them as allies in the White House's effort to advance his plans. He also deployed his political campaign arm, Organizing for America, to try to ensure the swarms of party loyalists and new voters he attracted in 2008 would turn out.
He also sought to ensure the Democrats would pick up a vacant upstate New York congressional seat long held by Republicans. In that race, Democrat Bill Owens faced conservative Doug Hoffman.
In doing so, Obama raised the stakes of a low-enthusiasm off-year election season.
Thus, the Democratic loss in Virginia - and any losses elsewhere - would be a blot on Obama's political standing to some degree. It also would signal trouble ahead as he seeks to advance his agenda, protect Democratic majorities in Congress and expand his party's grip on governors' seats next year.
In 2010, most governors, a third of the Senate and all members of the House of Representatives will be on ballots.
Obama needs all the lawmakers he can get to pass his legislative priorities of health care and climate change. Defeats yesterday could make it harder for him to persuade moderate Democrats from conservative areas to get on board. They have been hearing from voters worried about his expansion of government at a time of rising deficits.
Even before the first votes were counted, there were new signs of difficulties on health care, Obama's signature issue. Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid indicated yesterday that lawmakers might not complete legislation this year, which would miss Obama's deadline and push debate into the congressional election year. The congressional health care battle has been roiling the nation for much of the last half-year.
Virginia is a new swing state and has trended Democratic in recent elections after being reliably Republican in national races for many years. It is home to a slew of northern bellwether counties filled with independents who carried Obama to victory last year, the first Democrat to win the state in a White House race since 1964.
But after more than a year of recession, still early in Obama's term, independents fled from Democrats in a state where the economy trumped all. And exit polls indicated they were doing the same in New Jersey.
Exit polls showed that nearly a third of voters in Virginia yesterday described themselves as independents, and they preferred the Republican to the Democrat by almost a 2-1 margin.
More than four in 10 voters in Virginia said their view of Obama factored into their choice yesterday, and those voters roughly split between expressing support and opposition for the president. People who said they disapprove of Obama's job performance voted overwhelmingly Republican, and those who approve of the president favored Deeds, the Democrat.
The Obama factor was similar in New Jersey, though there were slightly more voters who said the president did not factor into their choice.
In other races yesterday, voters in the northeastern state of Maine weighed in on same-sex marriage in a closely watched initiative, and a number of cities selected mayors, including New York. Mayor Michael Bloomberg was heavily favored to win re-election.
Republican Gov.-elect Bob McDonnell's victory in Virginia over Democrat R. Creigh Deeds was a triumph for a Republican Party looking to rebuild after being booted from power in national elections in 2006 and 2008.
It also was a setback for Obama in a swing state that was a crucial part of his electoral landslide just a year ago. The president had campaigned personally for Deeds.
In New Jersey , Gov. Jon Corzine, a billionaire former Wall Street executive, was struggling to hold onto his seat in a three-way race. An Associated Press exit poll showed that race was too close to call. Democrats consider New Jersey a stronghold.
The outcomes of the two races were watched closely for hints about the attitudes of American voters and whether the diverse coalition that sent Obama to the White House remains intact.
The Republican victory in Virginia, where a Democrat had held the governor's seat, could energize a party that has lost back-to-back national elections, just as it seeks to raise money and recruit candidates to prepare for next year's election.
Still, yesterday's impact on Obama's standing and on the 2010 elections can be overstated. Only two of the 50 US states were holding gubernatorial elections. Voters often were focused on local issues and local personalities. Indeed, most people in Virginia and New Jersey said their ballot choices were not based on their feelings about Obama.
Yet national issues, such as the economic recession, clearly were a factor, with voter attitudes shaped to some degree by how people felt about the state of their nation.
It also was difficult to separate Obama from the outcomes after he devoted much time working to persuade voters to elect Deeds and re-elect Corzine, who was in a three-way race with Republican Chris Christie and independent Chris Daggett.
Obama campaigned for both Democrats and was featured in their advertisements. He characterized them as allies in the White House's effort to advance his plans. He also deployed his political campaign arm, Organizing for America, to try to ensure the swarms of party loyalists and new voters he attracted in 2008 would turn out.
He also sought to ensure the Democrats would pick up a vacant upstate New York congressional seat long held by Republicans. In that race, Democrat Bill Owens faced conservative Doug Hoffman.
In doing so, Obama raised the stakes of a low-enthusiasm off-year election season.
Thus, the Democratic loss in Virginia - and any losses elsewhere - would be a blot on Obama's political standing to some degree. It also would signal trouble ahead as he seeks to advance his agenda, protect Democratic majorities in Congress and expand his party's grip on governors' seats next year.
In 2010, most governors, a third of the Senate and all members of the House of Representatives will be on ballots.
Obama needs all the lawmakers he can get to pass his legislative priorities of health care and climate change. Defeats yesterday could make it harder for him to persuade moderate Democrats from conservative areas to get on board. They have been hearing from voters worried about his expansion of government at a time of rising deficits.
Even before the first votes were counted, there were new signs of difficulties on health care, Obama's signature issue. Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid indicated yesterday that lawmakers might not complete legislation this year, which would miss Obama's deadline and push debate into the congressional election year. The congressional health care battle has been roiling the nation for much of the last half-year.
Virginia is a new swing state and has trended Democratic in recent elections after being reliably Republican in national races for many years. It is home to a slew of northern bellwether counties filled with independents who carried Obama to victory last year, the first Democrat to win the state in a White House race since 1964.
But after more than a year of recession, still early in Obama's term, independents fled from Democrats in a state where the economy trumped all. And exit polls indicated they were doing the same in New Jersey.
Exit polls showed that nearly a third of voters in Virginia yesterday described themselves as independents, and they preferred the Republican to the Democrat by almost a 2-1 margin.
More than four in 10 voters in Virginia said their view of Obama factored into their choice yesterday, and those voters roughly split between expressing support and opposition for the president. People who said they disapprove of Obama's job performance voted overwhelmingly Republican, and those who approve of the president favored Deeds, the Democrat.
The Obama factor was similar in New Jersey, though there were slightly more voters who said the president did not factor into their choice.
In other races yesterday, voters in the northeastern state of Maine weighed in on same-sex marriage in a closely watched initiative, and a number of cities selected mayors, including New York. Mayor Michael Bloomberg was heavily favored to win re-election.
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