WASHINGTON, Nov. 3 (Xinhua) -- Republican candidates Bob McDonnell and Chris Christie were projected on Tuesday to win gubernatorial elections in Virginia and New Jersey respectively.
In a blow to President Barack Obama, Chris Christie defeated Gov. Jon Corzine in a tight race in the traditionally Democratic state of New Jersey by gaining independents' votes.
A voting guide is posted outside a polling station in New York Nov. 3, 2009. Citizens of New York City went to polls on Tuesday for the general election of the city. Mayor Michael Bloomberg is seeking for his third term. (Xinhua/Shen Hong) Photo Gallery>>>
In Virginia, Bob McDonnell garnered a victory over R. Creigh Deeds.
With only part of ballots calculated, Bob McDonnell, 55, has shown a landslide victory over his Democratic rival, Creigh Deeds. If he wins, he would become the first Republican to take the Virginian governor's office in 12 years.
Republicans are also likely to grab the positions of the lieutenant governor and the attorney general in the state, according to earlier polls.
The result was considered a blow to the Democrats and President Obama, who easily won Virginia that was used to be dominated by Republicans in the 2008 presidential elections, the first time in 44 years.
McDonnell's projected victory is "a blow to President Obama and the Democratic party," sending "a clear signal that voters have had enough of the president's liberal agenda," said Michael Steele, the chairman of the Republican National Committee.
Although there is still one year to go before the midterm elections when hundreds of local government officials and lawmakers will be elected, Republicans and some political analysts viewed the 2009 local elections as the first referendum on the president and Democratic Congress.
"If Democrats lose both Virginia and New Jersey, it will embolden Republicans and they will continue to oppose president's agenda," said Darrel West, a Brookings expert on governance studies. "It will also become more difficult to get things done in Congress."
A voter fills in his ballot in a voting booth at a polling station in New York, Nov. 3, 2009. Citizens of New York City went to polls early Tuesday for the general election of the city. (Xinhua/Cao Yiming) Photo Gallery>>>
Mark Rozell, a George Mason university professor on political science, also agreed that if the Democratic Party loses Virginia and New Jersey, "it will be read as the repudiation of some of Obama's policies and suggest a very difficult year for his party in 2010."
However, Candy Crowley, a CNN political commentator, said "a lot can happen between now and 2010," so "to extrapolate too much and superimpose this over what's going on to happen in 2010 is a mistake."
CNN's exit poll showed that among independent voters who played a crucial role in Obama's historic victory last year, mostly stood behind Republican candidates in Virginia and New Jersey.
The economy and employment still topped voters' mind when they cast ballots on Tuesday, according to the poll.
WASHINGTON, Nov. 3 (Xinhua) -- One year after Barack Obama's landslide victory in the 2008 presidential elections, his party is faced up with another test on Tuesday as a handful of local elections are held in states and cities.
Starting early morning, registered voters began casting their ballots in Virginia and New Jersey, where Democrats and Republicans are intensely wrestling in the gubernatorial elections. Full story
