GOP Finds Promising Candidates in US Attorneys

Get ready for a permanent tea party as voters seek leaders

(NEWSER) - In the GOP upsets in Virginia and New Jersey, Daniel Henninger doesn't just see Obama backlash, he sees a voter rebellion from both parties, with independent Americans behaving like stampeding cattle. That independents would within one year swing from Obama enthusiasts to backing decent-to-weak Republicans in Virginia and New Jersey is “simply astonishing,” writes the Wall Street Journal opinion editor. “The American voter is absolutely, totally, unremittingly disgusted with both political parties.” More»

Polling guru gives a post-mortem on last night's elections

(NEWSER) - The numbers are in, now it's time to make sense of them. Nate Silver breaks down last night's election results:

• Don’t blame Obama; Creigh Deeds and Jon Corzine were probably just weak candidates. In New Jersey, 57% of voters approved of Obama, but 27% of those supporters voted Republican anyway. In Virginia 20% of those who approved of Obama voted GOP.
• Democrats had turnout problems in Virginia; the voters who came out last night supported McCain 51-43 in 2008, a mirror image of that year's margin.

NJ, Va. votes show that president's popularity isn't catching

(NEWSER) - The message to Democratic candidates from yesterday's GOP wins in New Jersey and Virginia should be loud and clear: they're on their own, writes Dan McLaughlin . Jon Corzine and Creigh Deeds tied themselves as closely to possible to President Obama and lost, demonstrating that the president's continued personal popularity isn't rubbing off on his fellow Democrats, McLaughlin writes at RedState. More»

Party back from last year's beating but upheaval still likely

(NEWSER) - The victories in Virginia and New Jersey look set to revitalize the Republican Party ahead of next year's elections, writes Adam Nagourney. The party now has the chance to re-energize its base and prepare for a proper comeback from last year's defeat, although the Democratic win in New York's 23rd district shows that plenty of upheaval likely still lies ahead, Nagourney notes in the New York Times. More»

First Republican to win a statewide race in a decade

(NEWSER) - Chris Christie scored the second big victory for the Republicans today, taking the governorship of New Jersey from incumbent Jon Corzine. Christie, 47, had 50% of the vote to Corzine’s 44% with nearly three-quarters of precincts reporting. He’s the first Republican to win a statewide race in more than a decade, the AP notes. More»