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Charles Douglas , Humboldt Sentinel Eureka
In New Jersey and Virginia, voters removed neoliberal Democrats from their gubernatorial spots, placed a pair of the same in two empty House seats in New York and California, and barely re-elected a billionaire big city mayor who overrode voter-imposed term limits. Incumbent Governor Jon Corzine, pilloried for his ties to the “too big to fail” global investment bank Goldman Sachs, went down to defeat, 49% to 45% with most precincts reporting, against a neoconservative Republican and former U.S. Attorney, Chris Christie, with independent Chris Daggett denying him the majority by capturing 6%. Retiring Dem state executive Tim Kane of Virginia was unable to hand off his seat to State Senator Creigh Deeds, who lost in a landslide to Bob McDonnell, 59% to 41% with almost all votes in. The GOP also looks set to capture the Lieutenant Governor and Attorney General seats in Richmond.
House seats were not the scene of similar successes for the disorganized Republican Party. With 93% of the vote in, the 23rd Congressional District in upstate New York has witnessed an upset, with Bill Owens beating Conservative Party candidate Doug Hoffman 49% to 46% to become the first Dem to represent the area in over a century. Hoffman drove Republican nominee Dede Scozzafava out of the race, only to have her throw her endorsement to Owens, along with keeping 6% as holdover votes. California’s 10th Congressional District, representing the northern East Bay area, saw an easy win by former Lieutenant Governor John Garamendi with 56% of the vote, overwhelming the 40% support for Republican nominee David Hammer in early results, with Green, Peace and Freedom, and American Independent candidates rounding out with less than 2% each. The big ballot initiative of the night, Proposition 1 to repeal marriage equality for gays and lesbians in Maine, appears to be headed for victory, 53% to 47% with most ballots counted. The counter to this trend popped up across the country in Washington State, however, with Referendum 71 -- a voter review of the state legislature’s bill legalizing domestic partnerships -- winning 51% to 49% with all votes in.
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A spate of off-year elections held today evidently produced mixed results amid low voter turnout amidst an atmosphere of anxiety over the economic crisis and wars overseas.