'O' No! Are Off-Year Republican Victories a Referendum on Obama?
The November 2009 Election Day results as well as the exit polls in New Jersey, New York and Viriginia test the mood of the electorate one year after President Barack Obama was elected. Republican Bob McDonnell will win the Governor's race in Virginia, beating Democrat Creigh Deeds.

GOP sweep: Big governor victories in Virginia, NJ - Yahoo! News
Washington – Independents who swept Barack Obama to a historic 2008 victory broke big for Republicans on Tuesday as the GOP wrested political control from Democrats in Virginia and New Jersey , a troubling sign for the president and his party heading into an important midterm election year . Conservative Republican Bob McDonnell's victory in the Virginia Governor's race over Democrat R. Creigh Deeds and moderate Republican Chris Christie's ouster of unpopular New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine...

Analysis: It Was The Economy That Drove GOP Wins In Virginia & New Jersey: PHOTO
Celebrating in Richmond: Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele, left, and Virginia Governor-elect Bob McDonnell. ( Mark Wilson/Getty Images ) By Mark Memmott Good morning. If you're just tuning back in, here are the highlights from Tuesday's Elections : -- Republicans took the two gubernatorial races, in Virginia and New Jersey. -- A Democrat, Bill Owens, won New York's 23rd congressional district. That hadn't happened since before the Civil War. But the major reason was another...

McDonnell Won Due to Turnout, Independents: PHOTO
(AP ) Republican Bob McDonnell defeated Democrat Creigh Deeds today in his bid to wrest control of the Virginia Governor's mansion from Democratic control, continuing a long Virginia tradition going back to 1977 of voting for a Governor from the opposing party of the sitting president. Virginia Attorney General Bob McDonnell won in Virginia by shoring up support among Republicans, conservatives, evangelicals, by being competitive among moderates, lower income voters, and the younger voters who...

The Associated Press: GOP sweep: Big governor victories in Virginia, NJ
Washington — Independents who swept Barack Obama to a historic 2008 victory broke big for Republicans on Tuesday as the GOP wrested political control from Democrats in Virginia and New Jersey, a troubling sign for the president and his party heading into an important midterm election year. Conservative Republican Bob McDonnell's victory in the Virginia Governor's race over Democrat R. Creigh Deeds and moderate Republican Chris Christie's ouster of unpopular New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine...

Economy is big issue in Va. GOP governor's victory
RICHMOND, VA. — A Republican who promised to create jobs won the Virginia Governor's office just a year after state voters helped a Democrat who promised change — and jobs — win The White House. Bob McDonnell, a former state Attorney General, won with nearly 59 percent of the vote Tuesday, claiming a mandate for his conservative agenda with help from independent voters. They preferred him by nearly a 2-1 ratio over Democrat R. Creigh Deeds, exit polls showed, a shift from...

Election results: PHOTO
Republicans won two U.S. gubernatorial races but a New York Democrat claimed a House of Representatives seat the party hadn't held in 150 years. Bob McDonnell's gubernatorial win Tuesday in Virginia was expected, although perhaps not by the 18-percentage-point margin, but the loss by Gov. Jon Corzine in New Jersey, despite strong White House support, was an upset. McDonnell is the first Republican Governor in Virginia in eight years while Chris Christie becomes the first elected GOP Governor of...

GOP Wins Both Governor Races; Democrat wins in N.Y. 23
November 4, 2009 (ChattahBox) — Republicans swept Tuesday’s gubernatorial races, giving the GOP a lift and offering warning signs to Democrats ahead of the 2010 midterm Elections. Former Virginia Attorney General Republican

GOP Wins Both Governor Races; Democrat wins in N.Y. 23
November 4, 2009 (ChattahBox) — Republicans swept Tuesday’s gubernatorial races, giving the GOP a lift and offering warning signs to Democrats ahead of the 2010 midterm Elections. Former Virginia Attorney General Republican

GOP sweep: Big governor victories in Virginia, NJ
Independents who swept Barack Obama to a historic 2008 victory broke big for Republicans on Tuesday as the GOP wrested political control from Democrats in Virginia and New Jersey , a troubling sign for the president and his party heading into an important midterm election year. Conservative Republican Bob McDonnell 's victory in the Virginia Governor's race over Democrat R. Creigh Deeds and moderate Republican Chris Christie's ouster of unpopular New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine was a double-barreled...

GOP sweep: Big governor victories in Virginia, NJ
Independents who swept Barack Obama to a historic 2008 victory broke big for Republicans on Tuesday as the GOP wrested political control from Democrats in Virginia and New Jersey , a troubling sign for the president and his party heading into an important midterm election year. Conservative Republican Bob McDonnell 's victory in the Virginia Governor's race over Democrat R. Creigh Deeds and moderate Republican Chris Christie's ouster of unpopular New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine was a double-barreled...

Republican Wins in Virginia, New Jersey Build Momentum for 2010: PHOTO
There were seven candidates running in this week's three most closely watched races, and only one racked up a landslide victory. The others weren't what you'd call prime examples of political talent. With the possible exception of big winner Bob McDonnell, now the Republican Governor-elect of Virginia, charisma took a holiday. Competence did too, in some cases. It was painful to watch Virginia Democrat Creigh Deeds unable to come up with clear, consistent answers on national policy or even his...

Republicans Win Governor's Races in New Jersey, Virginia
Republican Chris Christie beats incumbent Democratic Gov. Jon Corzine in New Jersey; Republican Bob McDonnell trounces Democrat Creigh Deeds in Virginia. Democrats prevent a shut-out by winning an upstate New York congressional seat.  Virginia gubernatorial candidate Bob McDonnell, left, and New Jersey gubernatorial candidate Chris Christie won their respective races Tuesday. (AP Photos) Republicans swept to victory in the New Jersey and Virginia Governor's races Tuesday, scoring a...

Election Results 2009
Updated 12:22 a.m. ET, Nov. 4, 2009 Here's a summary of the projected winners and losers from the key races decided tonight, based on CBS News or Associated Press projections. Virginia Governor : Bob McDonnell (R) defeats Creigh Deeds (D) New Jersey Governor : Chris Christie (R) defeats Incumbent Jon Corzine (D) New York Congressional District 23: Bill Owens (D) defeats Doug Hoffman (C) New York Mayor : Incumbent Michael Bloomberg (I) defeats Bill Thompson (D) Detroit Mayor : Incumbent Dave...

Bloomberg spends big, ski town tokes up
S ome notable races and measures in Tuesday's election: GovernorS: Chris Christie, a Republican former U.S. attorney, unseated New Jersey Democratic Governor Jon Corzine, a billionaire former Wall Street executive. In Virginia, Republican Bob McDonnell beat Democrat R. Creigh Deeds to replace the term-limited Democratic Governor Tim Kaine. U.S. HOUSE: California Lieutenant-Governor John Garamendi easily defeated his Republican opponent, attorney David Harmer, in a special election for a...

Will Repub Wins in VA & NJ Scare Blue Dog Dems Away from Health Reform?: PHOTO
The Republicans are enjoying victory laps around gubernatorial wins in Virgina and New Jersey. And while exit polls in both states clearly indicate voter anxiety over the sluggish economy and its future, many conservative pundits and commentators will surely use the off-year victories as a referendum on President Obama. Robert McDonnell’s sizable win over Creigh Deeds in Virginia–a state that Obama carried in 2008–was not a shocker. Virginia–a so-called...

Christie, McDonnell, Owens, Bloomberg in, Gay Marriage Out in ME
In a surprising victory for Democrats, Bill Owens has defeated Doug Hoffman in NY-23. Many other major races went the Republicans' way, including a surprise upset in NJ by Chris Christie over incumbent Jon Corzine. In Maine, voters rejected Gay Marriage. The results of the most keenly watched races this Election Night 2009 are in. In Virginia, conservative Republican Bob McDonnell, who was expected to win over Democrat Creigh Deeds, won the vote handily by 18% in a state that overwhelmingly...

Republicans Sweep N.J., Va. Gov. Races
CBS News Projects Chris Christie Will Win in New Jersey, Following Bob McDonnell's Win in Virginia Previous slide Next slide (CBS/ AP)  Updated at 10:56 p.m. ET . CBS News projects that Republican gubernatorial candidate Chris Christie will win the Governor's race in New Jersey over Democratic incumbent Jon Cozine, giving Republicans their second big win on the night. Earlier, CBS News projected that Republican gubernatorial candidate Bob McDonnell would win the gubernatorial election in...

AP: Va. elects McDonnell as governor
RICHMOND, Virginia (AP) — Republican Bob McDonnell has easily won the Virginia Governor 's race just a year after the state went overwhelmingly for President Obama and the Democrats. Unofficial results show the former state Attorney General defeating Democrat  Creigh Deeds and returning a Republican to the Governor's office for the first time in eight years. This race and the contest for Governor of New Jersey are viewed as the first referendum on the president and the...

Early Vote Counting in VA Governors Race: Republican Bob McDonnell Up Big Over Democrat R. Creigh Deeds
  Early voting results are in Virginia, it looks like it will be an early night in the Commonwealth of Virginia as Republican Bob McDonnell has a huge lead over Democrat R. Creigh Deeds. The voting is breaking about 2 to 1 for Mc Donnell. Republican Bob McDonnell was up in the last polls prior to the election by double digits , it looks like he may win by an even greater number. The exit polling in Virginia according to CNN states, it all about The Economy. Watch the CNN political...

No Surprises on Election Day in Minn.
ST. PAUL, Minn. - No major surprises on Election Day 2009 here in the Twin Cities. Mayors on both sides of the river will be going back to work for another four years -- or will they? St. Paul mayor Chris Coleman announced last month he was not going to run for Governor next year. But Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak hasn't stepped forward or back…yet. Rybak's had some time to think about what's next. He didn't have to do much campaigning for his third term. The Mayor had no clear rival out of...

McDonnell wins in Va.; Christie takes lead in NJ
Republicans wrested Virginia from the Democrats Tuesday in a one-sided sweep of top offices, and New Jersey 's unpopular Democratic Gov. Jon Corzine fought for his political life as independent voters swung behind the GOP in Elections in both states. It was a troubling sign for President Barack Obama and his party heading into an important midterm election year. Conservative Republican Bob McDonnell 's victory in the Virginia Governor's race over Democrat R. Creigh Deeds was a triumph for a GOP...

McDonnell, the New Model for GOP Success as Republicans Win 2 of 3: PHOTO
Virginia Republicans are known for parsing their words carefully. Whereas other organizations hold a yearly "retreat," Virginia Republicans hold a yearly "advance." Other campaigns have victory parties – Virginia Republicans held an "election night party," so as not to sound too presumptuous. But there was little doubt there would be much celebration Tuesday night at the downtown Richmond Marriott, where hundreds of Republicans gathered. Even before the first precinct results had been...

McDonnell wins Va. governorship, NJ race close
Republicans wrested political control of Virginia from the Democrats on Tuesday and New Jersey 's unpopular Democratic Gov. Jon Corzine was fighting for his political life as independent voters swung behind the GOP in both states. It was a troubling sign for President Barack Obama and his party heading into an important midterm election year. Republican Gov.-elect Bob McDonnell 's victory in Virginia over Democrat R. Creigh Deeds was a triumph for a GOP looking to rebuild after being booted from...

GOP sweep: Big governor victories in Virginia, NJ
Independents who swept Barack Obama to a historic 2008 victory broke big for Republicans on Tuesday as the GOP wrested political control from Democrats in Virginia and New Jersey , a troubling sign for the president and his party heading into an important midterm election year. Conservative Republican Bob McDonnell 's victory in the Virginia Governor's race over Democrat R. Creigh Deeds and moderate Republican Chris Christie's ouster of unpopular New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine was a double-barreled...