NATIONAL ROUNDUP
Republicans swept the governor's races in New Jersey and Virginia Tuesday, ending Democratic rule in both states and launching what they hope will become a comeback heading into next year's midterm elections for control of Congress.
In New Jersey, Republican Chris Christie ousted incumbent Democratic Gov. Jon Corzine in a close contest. In Virginia, Republican Bob McDonnell easily defeated Democrat Creigh Deeds in a state where the incumbent Democrat was term-limited.
How much the results reflected on voters' satisfaction with President Obama was debatable. They did, however, signal that Republicans have more energy and momentum than the Democrats do, potentially crucial as both parties prepare for next year, when 38 of 100 Senate seats and all 435 seats in the House of Representatives are up for election.
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The votes were an early test of which party is doing better with independent voters and of whether the Democrats can turn out blacks and young voters in anywhere near the numbers they did in 2008 with Obama on the ballot.
Republicans emerged ahead on both tests, as independents swung into their column by a roughly 2-1 margin in both states. At the same time, turnout by younger voters and blacks dropped as a share of the total from 2008 levels.
In other races:
• In New York, Democrat Bill Owens captured the special election for a congressional seat that became a fight over the identity of the Republican Party.
Owens defeated conservative Doug Hoffman and Republican Dierdre Scozzafava in the heavily Republican 23rd congressional District in rural northern New York. Scozzafava withdrew Saturday and supported Owens.
The race got national attention, with some calling it a referendum on Obama and others saying it could help Republicans focus their message to attract more people to the party.
• Lt. Gov. John Garamendi, a Democrat, won a special election to a vacant Northern California congressional seat, defeating Republican attorney Dave Harmer.
• In Atlanta, a six-way race to succeed term-limited Mayor Shirley Franklin, the city's first female mayor, could lead to a December runoff. The top contenders include state Sen. Kasim Reed and City Councilwoman Mary Norwood, who was trying to become the city's first white mayor in a generation.
• Boston Mayor Thomas Menino won an unprecedented fifth consecutive four-year term. He has been in office for 16 1/2 years, longer than any mayor in the city's history.
• Ron J. Corbett, a trucking firm executive, was elected mayor of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, where the recovery from a devastating 2008 flood was among the major issues.
• Former NBA star Dave Bing won re-election as mayor of Detroit, where voters were trying to put the turmoil of the past year - the fall of ex-Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick and the federal conviction of a City Council member - behind them.
