One Down, Two to Go: Bob McDonnell Wins Virginia Governor Race

From the New York Times, "Republican Wins Virginia Governor Race":

Robert F. McDonnell, a Republican and a former state attorney general, won a decisive victory in Virginia’s governor’s race Tuesday, a stark reversal of fortune for Democrats who have held control in Richmond for the past eight years.

Mr. McDonnell defeated the Democratic candidate, R. Creigh Deeds, an 18-year state senator from rural Bath County in western Virginia.

Voters also went to the polls to decide a closely contested race for governor in New Jersey, where early returns showed Gov. Jon S. Corzine, the wealthy Democratic incumbent, trailing his Republican challenger, Christopher J. Christie.

An in upstate New York, voters were deciding a Congressional race that has been seen as a test of hard-line conservatives who are seeking to oppose or unseat moderate Republican candidates in next year’s elections. Mayoral races were taking place in several major cities, including New York, where Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg is seeking a third term, and Atlanta, where there was a possibility that a white mayor would be elected for the first time in decades. Maine was holding a referendum on whether to ban same-sex marriage.

In Virginia, Republicans cited their victory as a repudiation of the Obama administration and the national Democratic Party’s agenda, especially that of outgoing Gov. Tim Kaine, who serves as the chairman of the Democratic National Committee.

See also, the Politico, "GOP Sweeps Virginia Elections" (via Memeorandum). And Pat in Shreveport has more, "So much for the right wing fringe!"