(CNN) -- Democrats kept their grip on the governorships of Virginia and New Jersey in Tuesday's off-year elections, while New York City's Republican mayor easily secured a second term in the Democratic stronghold.
CNN projected that Democratic Lt. Gov. Tim Kaine will win the Virginia governor's race over Republican Jerry Kilgore, the state's former attorney general, despite a late-minute appearance on Kilgore's behalf by President Bush.
In the race for New Jersey governor, CNN projected Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Corzine would defeat Republican businessman Doug Forrester, culminating the most expensive race in the Garden State's history.
In Virginia, pre-election polls had shown a neck-and-neck race between Kaine and Kilgore. They were fighting to replace the popular Democratic Gov. Mark Warner, who was barred by state law from seeking a second term.
With about 99 percent of precincts reporting, Kaine was leading with 52 percent of the vote to Kilgore's 46 percent, according to unofficial results from the state.
Corzine addressed his supporters in New Jersey late Tuesday, expressing gratitude and saying he had taken a "gracious" concession call from Forrester, the GOP's unsuccessful U.S. Senate candidate in 2002.
But he also took a swipe at his opponent's campaign tactics, comparing them to those of Karl Rove, the president's top political adviser.
"I want to thank the people of New Jersey for rejecting the Bush-Rove tactics that we see in politics," Corzine said.
Corzine was leading with 53.5 percent of the vote to Forrester's 43.2 percent, with about 91 percent of precincts reporting, according to results reported by the AP.
Like it or not, this is a huge blow to the Bush White House and the Republicans in Congress. The American public is angry at the Republican-dominated government. And if the voters in California reject the Governators special election propositions, then the Republicans in Congress have got to start seriously thinking about their political future next year. The public is waking up to the cronyism and corruption within the Republican Party. They've seen enough of it through Tom DeLay, Bill Frist, the Valerie Plamegate, Scooter Libby, and Karl Rove is still under investigation. Next year is the midterm elections, the obstruction of justice and perjury trial of Scooter Libby, and the money laundering trial of Tom DeLay--and you can bet all three of those stories are going to be front-page news. President Bush has got to realize that he can't govern like he was for the last five years--the American public no longer trusts him, his credibility is shot, and he's hated throughout the world. He has got to make some very radical changes, such as getting rid of Karl Rove, Dick Cheney, the neocons, and rejecting the evangelical right-wingnuts and start governing from a centrist position. Bush has got to stop giving more tax breaks and goodies to his big business benefactors, and start providing for the little guy. The only problem is here, he's not going to do that.
And what of the Democrats? This is certainly a big boost in the Democratic Party's moral. But the Democrats can't just rest on their laurals, saying the American public's going to choose them over the Republicans in '06. They have got to continue to pressure the Republicans both on the issue of class warfare (Showing how the corporate elitists have benefited at the expense of the little guy), and they have to continue exposing the lies the Administration has told regarding Iraq's WMDs and Valerie Plamegate. They also have better start thinking up new ideas on how to solve the problems this country faces after five years of Republican-dominated government. They have got to provide solutions to change the course of this country. The American public wants leadership. The Democrats have to show that they can lead the country.
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