McDonnell Thumps Deeds in Virginia Gubernatorial Race…

Republican candidate Bob McDonnell reclaimed the governor’s office of the state of Virginia for the Republican Party for the first time since 1997 last night in a race that proved to be anything but close.  McDonnell gained more than 60% of the vote in a state that President Obama won by more than 6 points just a year ago.  The victory was also a rematch of sorts with the two candidates squaring off against one another just four years ago in an attorney general’s race.  The outcome of that election resulted in a virtual dead heat with victory claimed by less than 1% by Deeds.  The same could certainly not be said for the race that concluded this evening.  Republicans also claimed victories in the races for Lieutenant Governor and Attorney General in the state as well.

The race was called by most major networks relatively early as the margin appeared relatively large early on in the vote-counting process.  Fox News conducted a town hall of sorts as the results came in and some interesting feedback from voters was bounced around the room.

Pollster Frank Luntz held an informal Q&A with voters and asked them a series of questions related to their choice in the voting booth.  The first question that he asked the group was whether President Obama and his policies had anything to do with their choice.  Needless to say, the majority of the hands in the room went up.

I have to admit that I don’t put much weight in these sort of post-election discussions, but it was at least entertaining.  I will even take that a step further and say that I think this sort of discussion is a complete waste of time.  The people in that room simply debated that which pundits will be debating for the next two weeks.

Did Obama play a factor in the Virginia election and if so, was it a referendum on his presidency thus far?

We all know how this arguement will play out, so I will simply throw in my two cents for what they are worth.  It may be surprising to some, but I actually don’t see this as a referendum on the Obama administration.  In fact, I don’t even see it as a referndum on Congress eitehr.  I see it as a referendum on the liberalization of America that has taken place in the last 12 months and ALL of those politicians that have played a part in it.  To point the finger at Obama, Reid, Pelosi, or anyone individually is to ignore the fact that they have been working collectively to change the framework of our uniquely American system in just under a calendar year.  I have no doubt that McDonnell’s victory is due in part to purely state-level issues, but I cannot for a moment believe that it has nothing to do with the direction that our nation has headed in throughout the course of the last year.

Deeds Concedes…

Tags: Bob McDonnell, chris christie, Creigh Deeds, governor, john corzine, New Jersey, virginia

This entry was posted on Tuesday, November 3rd, 2009 at 10:34 am and is filed under DOMESTIC ISSUES, REPUBLICAN. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.