Written by Patrick O'Connor, Neil King Jr. and Heather Haddon
Featured in The Wall Street Journal/Politics and Policy: Read the full article
Wins by Each Party in New Jersey, Virginia Send Mixed Messages to the Two Sides
Republican Gov. Chris Christie coasted to re-election in New Jersey and Democrat Terry McAuliffe won an unexpectedly close contest for governor in Virginia Tuesday, a split decision that sent mixed messages to both parties about their political strengths.
No publicly released poll since July had shown Mr. McAuliffe losing the Virginia race, and many showed him leading by double digits. But Mr. McAuliffe defeated his GOP opponent, Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli, by only a 47.9% to 45.5% margin.