Virginia and N.J. choose GOP governors

WASHINGTON — Republicans swept the governor's races in New Jersey and Virginia Tuesday, ending Democratic rule in both states and launching what they hope will become a comeback heading into next year's mid-term elections for control of the U.S. Congress.

In New Jersey, Republican Chris Christie ousted incumbent Democratic Gov. Jon Corzine in a close contest. In Virginia, Republican Bob McDonnell easily defeated Democrat Creigh Deeds in a state where the incumbent Democrat was term-limited.

How much the results reflected on voters' satisfaction with President Barack Obama was debatable. They did, however, signal that Republicans have more energy and momentum than the Democrats do, potentially crucial as both parties prepare for next year, when 38 of 100 Senate seats and all 435 seats in the House of Representatives are up for election.

The votes were an early test of which party is doing better with independent voters and of whether the Democrats can turn out African-Americans and young voters in anywhere near the numbers they did in 2008 with Obama on the ballot.

Republicans emerged ahead on both tests, as independents swung into their column by a roughly 2-1 margin in both states. At the same time, turnout by younger voters and African-Americans dropped as a share of the total from 2008 levels.

"It is a stark contrast to where the energy and intensity were in Virginia just a year ago," said Rep. Eric Cantor, R-Va.

Virginia has a long history of voting against the party in power in the White House, most recently electing two Republicans during Democrat Bill Clinton's two-term presidency, then electing two Democrats during Republican George W. Bush's eight years in the White House.

However, Virginia has emerged as more of a national bellwether in recent years, as its vote for Obama in 2008 was closer to his national average than any other state. "It's the ultimate swing state," said University of Virginia political scientist Larry Sabato.

In New Jersey, a state that went for Obama by 15 percentage points last year and which hadn't elected a Republican governor in a dozen years, Christie vowed a smaller, leaner state government and promised to rein in the state's high taxes.

Whether the two governors' races were a referendum on Obama was unclear, however.

About 4 in 10 Virginia voters said Obama was a factor in their vote, splitting almost evenly for and against the president.