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Voters Elect Democratic Governors in Virginia, New Jersey

Posted on: Wednesday, 9 November 2005, 00:00 CST

ALEXANDRIA, Va. _ Democrats seized a dual victory Tuesday night by electing governors in Virginia and New Jersey in separate but unifying races, which injected a boost of morale into a party whose fortunes could be turning if the mood of the voters continues to sour on Republicans.

Virginia Lt. Gov. Tim Kaine defeated Jerry Kilgore, a former attorney general, despite last-minute campaigning and a plea by President Bush. Bush won the state a year ago, but his appeals on Kilgore's behalf fell short as Kaine won, 52 percent to 46 percent, with nearly all the state's ballots tallied.

In New Jersey, Democratic Sen. Jon Corzine swept to a comfortable victory over Republican Doug Forrester in a campaign filled with blistering personal attacks by both men. Corzine will now appoint a successor to fill his Senate seat.

While the races in Virginia and New Jersey hinged on a litany of local issues, from urban sprawl to immigration to the death penalty, the contests also served as a referendum on the broader Republican agenda.

The White House held out little hope for winning the New Jersey race, but strategists believed they could win Virginia, a state historically friendly to Republican candidates. The off-year elections often are used to gauge the electorate's mood before both parties open their drives to the midterm congressional campaign.

Voters across the country also considered a series of state initiatives, with Texans overwhelmingly approving a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage. California voters faced a special election on four measures widely seen as a referendum on Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.

In Ohio, voters defeated four election-reform measures that were backed by Democratic groups in response to the 2004 presidential campaign.

It was the race here in Virginia, though, that held the most drama and captured the night's attention. While Bush won re-election last year by nine percentage points, it was clear the feelings of Virginians had changed.

Even some Republicans believed the president had become a drag on the ticket. A Washington Post poll found that 47 percent of voters said a Bush endorsement would make them less likely to support Kilgore, the GOP candidate for governor.

So throughout the fall campaign, Kilgore had not aligned himself with the president. On the same day a top Bush administration official was indicted last month, Kilgore declined to appear at Bush's side during a speech in Virginia.

But national Republican groups invested millions in Kilgore's campaign. And on Monday evening, the White House dispatched Bush to a rally in Richmond, the capital, where he urged Republican stalwarts to support the party's ticket.

In victory or defeat, it was difficult to assign too much national meaning to the results of Tuesday's elections. But Democrats, the minority party in Congress and in statehouses across the country, couldn't help savor their victories.

"It's a great boost in morale," said New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, chairman of the Democratic Governors Association.

"In the most significant test of the political environment since 2004, Americans resoundingly supported the new priorities of Democratic candidates over the status quo policies of President Bush and Republican leadership," said Rep. Rahm Emanuel, D-Ill., the chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.

Still, the outcome of the race continues a 28-year trend in which Virginians have elected a governor from the party opposing the party that controls the White House.

Edward Lynch, who teaches political science at Hollins University in Roanoke, Va., said the election results in Virginia do not necessarily suggest a nationwide bellwether.

Still, he said he had no doubt that the president's approval rating in Virginia, which has been around 40 percent, was detrimental, at least in that state.

"All the Democrats are unhappy with the president and some Republicans are unhappy with the president," Lynch said. "The Democrats are energized and united, while Republicans are divided and dispirited."

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(c) 2005, Chicago Tribune.

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Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Information Services.

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PHOTOS (from KRT Photo Service, 202-383-6099): NJGOV, VAGOVERNOR

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Source: Chicago Tribune

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