Democrats take 2 governors' races

Jeff Zeleny
The Boston Globe
Wednesday, November 9, 2005

Democrats seized a dual victory yesterday night with governors elected in Virginia and New Jersey, 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 Lieutenant Governor Tim Kaine defeated Jerry Kilgore, a former attorney general, despite last-minute campaigning and a plea by President Bush. Kaine had 995,290 votes, or 51.5 percent, to Kilgore’s 894,609 votes, or 46.3 percent.

In New Jersey, Senator Jon Corzine, a Democrat, trounced Doug Forrester, with 53.6 percent of the vote to 43.1 percent for the Republican, with 92 percent of precincts reporting.

‘’There’s no way to spin this than anything other than a major defeat for Republicans and for President Bush,” said University of Virginia political scientist Larry Sabato.

Bush appeared at a Monday night rally with Kilgore, the first public campaign appearance with the president in a state that twice voted for Bush.

‘’This is a red state, he came in on Election Eve and he had no discernible effect,” Sabato said. ‘’If anything, he may have cost Kilgore some votes.”

Elsewhere, Mayor Michael Bloomberg, a Republican, easily clinched a second term in heavily Democratic New York City.

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 Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. Two of his measures, to cap state spending and to strip lawmakers of their power to carry out redistricting, were defeated, and one—to make teachers work five years instead of two to pass probation—was trailing in early returns.

The only Schwarzenegger measure with a lead would require public employee unions to get members’ permission before their dues could be used for political purposes.

The White House had 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.

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. 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, Bush appeared at a rally in Richmond, the capital.

Democrats, the minority party in Congress and in state houses across the country, couldn’t help but savor their victories.

‘’It’s a great boost in morale,” said New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson, chairman of the Democratic Governors Association.

http://www.boston.com/news/politics/governors/articles/2005/11/09/
democrats_take_2_governors_races/

By Jeff Zeleny

The Boston Globe

Wednesday, November 9, 2005