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| Virginia Democratic gubernatorial candidate Terry McAuliffe, right, turns toward his son Peter after completing his vote on election day in McLean, Va. on Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2013. |
Republican New Jersey
Gov. Chris Christie looked for a big re-election victory Tuesday night
amid talk of a 2016 presidential run, and Democrats hoped for a sweep of
top offices in Virginia topped by Terry McAuliffe in the governor's
mansion. New Yorkers chose a new mayor for the first time in a dozen
years.
In other, widely scattered odd-year
balloting, Colorado was setting a tax rate for marijuana, Houston was
deciding the fate of the Astrodome and Alabama Republicans were choosing
between two of their own - from different wings of the party - in a
special congressional runoff election in a conservative state.
Across
the country, voters also were choosing sides in a host of local
elections and ballot initiatives. Turnout was expected to be relatively
light - even in the most hard-fought races - given that it was not a
presidential or congressional election year, and voters were primarily
hard-core partisans.
Not on the ballot,
President Barack Obama took a pass on wagering any guess on outcomes,
saying: "Never predict elections. That's a losing proposition."
Taken
together, the results in individual states and cities were expected to
yield no broad judgments on how the American public feels about today's
two biggest national political debates - government spending and health
care - which are more likely to shape next fall's midterm elections.
Even so, Tuesday's voting had local impact, and it mattered in ways big and small.
In
Virginia, Democrats were pushing to control all major statewide offices
for the first time since 1970, a rejection of the conservatism that has
dominated for the past four years. But Republicans were expected to
hold the Legislature.
The state's two U.S.
senators already are Democrats, and McAuliffe was favored to win the
governorship, a one-term limited office, four years after voters elected
conservative Republican Bob McDonnell. Both Bill and Hillary Rodham
Clinton made appearances for McAuliffe in the final weeks, and so did
Barack Obama over the weekend.
Republican
state Attorney General Ken Cuccinnelli was hoping for a late-game rally
that would prove that a tea party-backed conservative could win the
governorship of a swing-voting state. He brought big-name supporters to
the state, too, including Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, Sen. Rand Paul of
Kentucky and Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal - all potential presidential
contenders.
Democrats also were expected to
win the lieutenant governorship, and had a strong shot at the attorney
general's office. They also could break through Republicans' veto-proof
majority in the state House, and all that could set the stage of a
presidential battleground ahead of the next White House race.
In
New Jersey, Republican Gov. Christie was relishing the possibility of a
big victory with support from across the political spectrum that would
send a message to the GOP that a Republican with an inclusive message
could win in Democratic territory.
In that sense, his expected win had implications for the 2016 presidential race.
A
big victory could show his ability to draw support from Democrats,
independents and minorities. This would be much as George W. Bush did in
his re-election race as governor in Texas in 1998 - positioned to argue
that he was the most electable in what might well be a crowded
presidential primary field.
Later this month,
Christie assumes the chairmanship of the Republican Governors
Association, giving him another platform for a possible national
campaign.
A Christie victory would make him
the only Republican governor considering the presidency and serving with
a Democratic Legislature, and he could use that to argue for pragmatism
over ideology as a divided GOP seeks a path forward. He was opposed for
re-election by state Sen. Barbara Buono.
Elsewhere
on Tuesday, the party's internal squabbles played out in the special
congressional runoff primary election in Alabama. It featured veteran
politician Bradley Byrne, the choice of the GOP establishment, against
tea party favorite Dean Young.
The race was
the first test of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's promise to try to
influence primaries. The group has pumped at least $200,000 into
supporting Byrne, who has almost two decades in politics. Young argues
that the Chamber endorsement is evidence that Byrne is the choice of big
Washington interests.
Other races to watch:
-Big
city mayors: In New York, Democrat Bill de Blasio was expected to
cruise to victory over Republican Joe Lhota after Michael Bloomberg's
dozen-year tenure. Atlanta, Boston, Detroit, Minneapolis, Seattle and
other cities also chose mayors.
-Washington
state: Voters weighed in on a ballot issue over mandatory labeling of
genetically modified food, a contest that has drawn hefty financial
contributions in opposition from the likes of PepsiCo., Monsanto and
General Mills, which last year spent $46 million to defeat a similar
measure in California.
-Colorado: Colorado
voters determined whether to tax marijuana at 25 percent and apply the
proceeds to regulating the newly legalized drug and building schools.
Voters in 11 rural counties were asked if they wanted to approve
secession from the state. One county was talking about joining Wyoming.
