| NOTABLE 2009 BALLOT MEASURES | |
New Jersey and Virginia on Tuesday (Nov. 3) extended to 20 years their tradition of voting for the same political party in their off-year gubernatorial elections, as Republican Robert McDonnell easily won in Virginia and the GOP’s Chris Christie unseated Jon Corzine (D) in New Jersey. Corzine’s loss — in a state that, like most, has been hit hard by the recession — portends badly for incumbents heading into next year’s election season, when 37 gubernatorial seats will be contested, including at least 17 in which incumbents still are in the running. More broadly, the losses by Corzine and Virginia challenger Creigh Deeds spell trouble for Democrats, The New York Times reports.
Many states voted on ballot measures Tuesday, on questions ranging from gay marriage to state borrowing.
In a high-profile fight, Maine voters rejected a state law granting same-sex marriage rights, but a similar measure — offering gay couples “everything but marriage” — was on track for victory in Washington state. Both Maine and Washington also voted on — and rejected — tax-cap measures modeled after Colorado’s controversial Taxpayer Bill of Rights (TABOR).
In Ohio, voters approved casinos in four cities. Despite the tough times, Ohio and New Jersey also approved borrowing measures, with Ohioans signing off on $200 million for veterans’ services and compensation, and New Jersey voters approving $400 million for land preservation.
For more election coverage from around the nation, visit Stateline.org’s Politics and Elections pages.
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By Neal Lendenmann on Nov 4, 2009 11:05:28 AM
Your election commentary would have been more comprehensive and more credible if you had included information about the two congressional races that were decided on Tuesday.
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