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Nov 4 2009, 9:21 am by Chris Good

Question of the Day: Who's The Big Winner?

Republicans swept in Virginia and took the governor's mansion in New Jersey...but Democrat Bill Owens upset conservative darling Doug Hoffman in New York to stymie the hopes of grassroots conservatives across the country. Who was the big winner on Tuesday night?

BONUS #1: President Obama invested himself in most in New Jersey's gubernatorial race, and Democrat Jon Corzine lost. Was this a referendum on him? If so, what does it say?

BONUS #2: What does Hoffman's loss mean for the grassroots conservative movement?

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Comments (13)

dudeabides

Centrist Republicans won not teabaggers. Based on their web pages, it was hard to tell that Christie and McDonnell were GOP. They avoided social issues. As for NY-23, not knowing anything about your district and pledging to strip it of federal funds (no earmark pledge) is not a recipe for victory.

market karma (Replying to: dudeabides)

this makes the same mistake most of the media make--

they just assume based on some signs around the fringes, that the tea party movement is a social conservative movement.

The tea party movement is a fiscal conservative movement -- limits on government power, limits on government spending, etc. A message that oh-by-the-way really resonates with a majority of the independents that broke Obama's way a year ago.

i know many lefties just reflexively look at any conservative movement as a bunch of bible thumping Neanderthals -- but they pigeon hole this movement at their peril.

slag
BONUS #1: President Obama invested himself in most in New Jersey's gubernatorial race, and Democrat Jon Corzine lost. Was this a referendum on him? If so, what does it say?
I coulda swore I read on this very blog that Obama's approval rating in New Jersey is 57% and that only 38% said they were trying to send a message to Obama with their vote.


You all should really consider reading the Atlantic Monthly blog sometime. It has some useful information that could prevent you from having to ask these lame questions.

emilyw00 (Replying to: slag)

I live in NJ and the only correlation I saw between last year and this year was how differently people felt about voting - last year was exciting, almost transcendent, this year we were back to picking the least bad of unappetizing alternatives. Not surprisingly, a lot of people didn't show up at the polls. The situation at the state level is completely different from national politics, where we might be seeing more sausage making than we're comfortable with but at least they're engaging with major national challenges. On the state level it's all negative: where to cut and how much in order not to go bankrupt. It's not that Corzine was the most compelling governor but he did at least make a serious stab at bringing NJ finances back in line with reality. He had so little margin to maneuver though, he was pretty much screwed from the get go. Now we're back in fantasy land. The only consolation is we can't borrow our way out this time, credit's in the toilet. Can't wait to see what brilliant alternatives Christie manages to come up with once he's actually forced to come up with a plan.

emilyw00 (Replying to: slag)

I live in NJ and the only correlation I saw between last year and this year was how differently people felt about voting - last year was exciting, almost transcendent, this year we were back to picking the least bad of unappetizing alternatives. Not surprisingly, a lot of people didn't show up at the polls. The situation at the state level is completely different from national politics, where we might be seeing more sausage making than we're comfortable with but at least they're engaging with major national challenges. On the state level it's all negative: where to cut and how much in order not to go bankrupt. It's not that Corzine was the most compelling governor but he did at least make a serious stab at bringing NJ finances back in line with reality. He had so little margin to maneuver though, he was pretty much screwed from the get go. Now we're back in fantasy land. The only consolation is we can't borrow our way out this time, credit's in the toilet. Can't wait to see what brilliant alternatives Christie manages to come up with once he's actually forced to come up with a plan.

jennis psycho

Moderate Republicans who now have been shown a clear path to victory; follow the Clinton/Carville maxim: It's the economy, stupid.

TycheSD

Smart Republicans.

PorkBelly

Bigots in Maine.

mesquito66

Scott Rasmussen.

gen

Journalists who can ignore all the real polling done about the popularity of the president/congress/parties in favor of a narrative they can warp to their own purposes.

Angellight

emocrats must lead by leading and accomplishing reform -- like health care which is tied to the deficit. Those timid Dems who refuse to take issue with the insurance companies will lose their seats in the coming elections. Those who stand firm for the people will be re-elected to fight on!

The wins of GOP governors will be unfortunate for the people of Virginia and New Jersey. If the people of these states thought they had it bad under Democratic governors, they have seen nothing yet. How long will some people continue to be Fooled by these Wizards of Oz? How long will they continue to circle the Yellow Brick Road? Republican politicians will not deliver the change these people seek but instead will impede it delivering more good and services to big corporations and insurance companies which will only continue the decay of these states. This is very unfortunate indeed because the GOP primary objective is to say no the people and to spead fear -- The Party of No and Fear -- deceptive Wizards of Oz!

Vail Beach

The GOP won. Not only did they in fact win VA by a landslide and NJ against the preponderance of Dems in that state, but they "won" for losing in NY-23, tempering the ambitions and expectations of the far-right insurgency embodied by Palin. I think Hoffman would have proven to be an embarrassment.

I really like your co-blogger Megan McArdle's analysis of that race: http://meganmcardle.theatlantic.com/archives/2009/11/north_and_south_in_the_republi.php

ottovbvs

.......This is all so facile.....Obama wasn't "invested" in these races......when you're president even in an off off year you have to go and campaign for your guys......The dem in VA was a very poor candidate and as far as I can see ran against Obama's policies......in a word in both states the Dems stayed home.......it wouldn't have mattered if Obama had won both of them and by the weekend they will both be forgotten. In NY 23 the Republicans would almost certainly have won too if they'd left Scozza alone......it would not have been on the radar and she'd have wafted to victory.....Now the Dems have the seat with all the powers of incumbency.....and the Republicans have thrown another can of gas on their incipient civil war the flames of which will still be burning merrily weeks from now.....this is all so obvious but not to anyone more interested in spin than reality unfortunately.