Democrats swept Virginia and New Jersey’s governor’s races, incumbents came out on top in several big-city mayoral races and voters in Maine said they wanted to join 31 other states in expanding Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act.
A rundown of the top races around the country on Tuesday:
TWO GOVERNORS
Voters in two states picked replacements for their term-limited governors – Democrat Terry McAuliffe in Virginia and Republican Chris Christie in New Jersey – in contests seen as an early referendum on the presidency of Donald Trump. In swing state Virginia, Democratic Lt. Gov. Ralph Northam defeated Republican Ed Gillespie. In New Jersey, front-running Democrat Phil Murphy overcame Republican Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno.
The stakes were high as both parties sought momentum ahead of next year’s midterm elections. Democrats haven’t won any special elections for Congress this year and the next Virginia governor will have a major say in the state’s next round of redistricting, when Congressional lines are drawn. Republicans were looking for a boost as their party is beset by intraparty turmoil between Trump and key Republicans in Congress.