Democrats play down vote defeats

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Victory speeches: Bob McDonnell, Chris Christie and Michael Bloomberg

US Democrats have played down their defeat to the Republicans in two key gubernatorial races.

The Republicans say the results, a year after Barack Obama was elected, signal voters' discontent with his presidency.

But Democratic Party chairman Tim Kaine said Mr Obama remained popular and that the party's losses reflected voter anxiety about the economy and jobs.

Both Virginia and New Jersey voted for Mr Obama in the 2008 presidential race, but will now have Republican governors.

In New Jersey, the incumbent Democratic Governor, Jon Corzine, was ousted by Chris Christie, while in Virginia, Republican Bob McDonnell beat Democrat Creigh Deeds by a comfortable margin.

MARDELL'S AMERICA Obama is in that tricky post-euphoria, pre-delivery phase - it's even trickier if people feel deliverance never comes BBC North America editor Mark Mardell Read Mark's thoughts in full In pictures: US elections

Meanwhile, in the race for New York city hall, independent Mayor Michael Bloomberg won a third term.

He saw off Democratic challenger Bill Thompson in a closer-than-expected contest by 51% to 46%.

But the Democrats won a House seat in upstate New York that had been held for decades by Republicans.

Bill Owens' victory in New York state's 23rd congressional district, over Conservative Party candidate Doug Hoffman, followed a contest dominated by fierce Republican divisions.

Correspondents say the gubernatorial defeats are a setback for Mr Obama, who had campaigned in both states for his party's candidates, as he tries to reform healthcare, pass a climate change bill and rally support for his handling of the war in Afghanistan.

ANALYSIS Jonathan Beale, BBC News, Washington In reality the Virginia and New Jersey polls were not simply a referendum on Mr Obama. Exit polls in both states showed a small majority still approved of how he is running the country. It is the economy that seems to have been the main concern - that and a host of parochial and even personality issues. All in all it looked like a good night for Republicans - except there was a sting in the tail. It came in upstate New York's 23rd congressional district, which has been in Republican hands for more than a century. Last night it voted Democrat thanks largely to a bitter row within Republican ranks. It was hardly a good night for President Obama. But it could have been much worse. Qualified victory for Republicans

But, they add, concerns about the economy, jobs and local issues also played a large part in voters' choices.

Republicans described it as a blow to Mr Obama and said the momentum was now behind them ahead of next year's crucial mid-term elections.

Party chairman Michael Steele said: "It sends a clear signal that voters have had enough of the president's liberal agenda."

House deputy Republican leader Eric Cantor said: "[Voters] are tired of the spending, tired of the waste and tired of the over-reach they see coming out of Washington."

But White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said Mr Obama would not consider the defeats as holding a wider significance for himself or the Democrats.

"I don't think the president is looking at these and believes that they say anything about our future legislative efforts or our future political efforts," he said.

Last year Mr Obama became the first Democratic presidential candidate to carry Virginia since 1964, although its last two governors have been Democrats.

Mr Kaine agreed, saying: "These races turned on local and state issues... and despite what some will certainly claim, the results are not predictive of the future or reflective of the national mood."

Gay marriage

Meanwhile in Maine, voters in a referendum rejected a same-sex marriage law passed by state lawmakers earlier this year. The law was put on hold when conservatives launched a petition to repeal it.

In Washington state, voters seemed set to approve an "everything-but-marriage" referendum granting gay people the right to civil unions, with early returns showing 51% to 49% support for the expanded rights.

In other results:

• California Lt Gov John Garamendi won a special election to a Northern California congressional seat, keeping the district in Democratic hands
• In Atlanta, councillor Mary Norwood could become the city's first white mayor in a generation if she wins a December run-off against Georgia Senator Kasim Reed, after neither received more than half the votes cast

Mayoral elections were also held in Houston, Boston, Detroit and Pittsburgh.

The results are being pored over for clues as to how the two main parties will fare in the 2010 mid-terms, when the entire House of Representatives, about a third of the Senate and two-thirds of governors face elections.

US MEDIA REACTION TO THE RESULTS

Independents have expressed reservations about the president's healthcare efforts and the federal deficit under his leadership. Tuesday's elections provided the first tangible evidence that Republicans can win [independents'] support with the right kind of candidates and the right messages. That is an ominous development for Democrats if it continues unabated into next year.

The Washington Post's Dan Balz says Mr Obama may be losing the vital support of independent voters.

The Republican victories set the stage for [the party] to raise money, recruit candidates and ride the excitement of an energised base heading into next year's mid-terms. But a Democratic victory in upstate New York - after an ideologically pitched battle between moderates and conservatives over how best to lead Republicans back to power - signalled the Republican Party faces continued upheaval.

Adam Nagourney in the New York Times says Republican infighting could hamper hopes of an opposition comeback next year.

In the short term, the off-year results will surely colour perceptions within the Washington Beltway, as Obama and the Democratic-run Congress strive to pass landmark healthcare reform legislation, then turn to a major bill to fight global warming. The outcome is unlikely to make things easier for the White House and its allies.

The Los Angeles Times predicts choppy waters ahead for the White House.

Perhaps most striking were economic views. Voters who expressed the highest levels of economic discontent heavily favoured the Republican candidates in both states - underscoring the challenge Obama and his party may face in 2010 if economic attitudes don't improve.

ABC News analyst Gary Langer says it's the economy, stupid.

The votes tonight are anti-incumbent votes in protest at economic crisis and the slow pace of recovery. And they are not, it seems to me, some national referendum on Obama's first nine months. In fact, Obama's approval ratings in both Virginia and New Jersey are respectable and strong, with unemployment headed to 10%.

Andrew Sullivan in The Atlantic says it was not a referendum on Obama.

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