In blow to Obama, Republicans win vital state race

WASHINGTON — Republicans wrested political control of Virginia from the Democrats on Tuesday, 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, in one of two vital gubernatorial races Tuesday, 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 the other crucial race, 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.

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, Tuesday's impact on Obama's standing and on the 2010 elections can be overstated easily. Only two of the 50 U.S. states were holding gubernatorial elections. Voters often were focused on local issues and local personalities. Indeed, most people in Virginia and New Jersey said they were not casting ballots because of 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 in person for both Deeds and Corzine and was featured in their advertisements. He characterized the two as necessary 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 possible losses elsewhere — would be a blot on Obama's political standing to some degree. It would also 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.

Obama needs all the lawmakers he can get to pass his legislative priorities of health care and climate change. Defeats Tuesday 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 Tuesday 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.

Defeats could point to future problems for Democrats, particularly in moderate districts and in swing states like Ohio, Colorado and Nevada. In 2010, most governors, a third of the Senate and all members of the House of Representatives will be on ballots.

A loss in New Jersey would be particularly disappointing for Obama because it is a traditional Democratic-leaning state.

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.

Exit polls showed that nearly a third of voters in Virginia Tuesday described themselves as independents, and they preferred the Republican to the Democrat by almost a 2-1 margin.

In other races Tuesday, 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.