In addition to the results here in Virginia, which I discuss here, there were other races of interest around the country.
In New Jersey, Senator Jon Corzine defeated Douglas Forrester by a decisive margin in what has to have been one of the nastiest elections for Governor that state has ever seen. This is not at all a surprise given the political climate in New Jersey. Now that he’s been elected Governor, Corzine will get to pick the person who will succeed him in the Senate and a special election will be held in 2006
His first major decision will be selecting a Democrat to fill out the year remaining on his Senate term. Codey is the preferred choice of many Washington Democrats to fill the remaining year of Corzine’s term, although he has said publicly he is not interested. Several Democrats in the New Jersey House delegation are also contenders, with Rep. Robert Menendez widely regarded as the leading candidate, but Rep. Rush D. Holt, a friend of Corzine’s and five-time winner on the game show “Jeopardy!,” also winning considerable support. Republicans have coalesced behind state Sen. Tom Kean Jr. as their 2006 Senate nominee.
In New York, Republican Michael Bloomberg was elected to a second term as Mayor, meaning that when he leaves office the GOP will have held the NYC Mayor’s office for 16 years.
Meanwhile, in California, voters rejected all four of the ballot initiatives favored by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Finally, Texas voters overwhelmingly approved a ban on gay marriage while voters in Maine voted to keep a gay rights law on the books.
Related Posts:
