Mediaboss Marketing

Virginia has told us to end the divisiveness, that we will not condone hatred and bigotry and to end the politics that have torn this country apart, he said, adding that in this state, Its going to take a doctor to heal our differences.

The Democrats electoral validation, though, took place well beyond the Virginia governors race: They wrested the governorship of New Jersey away from Republicans, swept two other statewide offices in Virginia, made gains in the Virginia State Legislature, and won a contested mayoral race in New Hampshire.

In New Jersey, Philip D. Murphy, a former Goldman Sachs executive, won the governorship by a vast margin that brought an unceremonious end to Gov. Chris Christies tumultuous tenure.

In both Virginia and New Jersey, voters rebuffed a wave of provocative ads linking immigration and crime, hinting at the limitations of hard-edge tactics in the sort of affluent and heavily suburban states that are pivotal in next years midterm elections.

Even though Republicans in the two states mirrored Mr. Trumps grievance-oriented politics, they kept him at arms length: He became the first president not to appear on behalf of candidates for governor in either state since 2001, when George W. Bush shunned the trail after the Sept. 11 attacks.

Since then, four of the five governors Virginia has elected have been Democrats. The party was also in contention late Tuesday to seize control of the state House of Delegates, an unexpected show of strength that, along with Mr. Northams victory, offered Democrats a stronger hand to block any Republican attempts at gerrymandering after the next census.

Representative Scott Taylor, a Republican from Virginia Beach, said he considered the Democratic sweep in Virginia a repudiation of the White House. He faulted Mr. Trumps divisive rhetoric for propelling the party to defeat, and said he believed traditionally Republican-leaning voters contributed to Mr. Northams margin of victory.

I do believe that this is a referendum on this administration, Mr. Taylor said of the elections. Democrats turned out tonight, but Im pretty sure there were some Republicans who spoke loudly and clearly tonight as well.

Channeling the shock of Republicans across the state, Mr. Taylor voiced disbelief at the partys rout down ballot. I know folks that lost tonight who were going against candidates Id never even heard of, he said.

Mr. Trump was quick to fault Mr. Gillespie for keeping his distance, writing on Twitter while traveling in South Korea that the Republican candidate did not embrace me or what I stand for.

Mr. Gillespie made no mention of Mr. Trump in his concession speech, and alluded only in passing to the explosive themes he wielded as a candidate. Ticking off issues he campaigned on, Mr. Gillespie noted his supporters were worried about safety for themselves and their families and their businesses.

Addressing supporters in a hotel ballroom, Mr. Gillespie tried to tack a courteous finale on to a rough-and-tumble race, offering his assistance to Mr. Northam going forward. I wish him nothing but the best success, Mr. Gillespie said.

Mr. Northams victory was a tonic to an anxious national party that has been reeling since Mr. Trumps win last year and was demoralized by losses in special House elections in Montana and Georgia.

A native of Virginias rural Eastern Shore, Mr. Northam, 58, was perhaps an unlikely vessel for the resistance-era Democratic Party. But the left overlooked the two votes he cast for George W. Bush before he entered politics, and his rsum he is a pediatric neurologist and Gulf War veteran proved far more appealing to the states broad middle than Mr. Gillespies background as a corporate lobbyist.

The Democrats success here came as Mr. Gillespie, trailing in the polls, turned to a scorched-earth campaign against Mr. Northam in the races final weeks. Mr. Gillespie, a fixture of his partys establishment who had once warned against the siren song of anti-immigrant politics, unleashed a multimillion-dollar onslaught linking his rival to a gang with Central American ties and a convicted pedophile who had his rights restored, while also assailing Mr. Northam for wanting to remove Virginias Confederate statues.

The strategy appeared to help Mr. Gillespie narrow the gap in the wake of the Charlottesville protests this summer, but it was not enough to overcome the anti-Trump energy in an increasingly diverse state that has not elected a Republican to statewide office since 2009.

Mr. Gillespie, a former Republican National Committee chairman, found it difficult to balance appeals to the presidents unflagging supporters in rural Virginia while simultaneously attempting to win over Mr. Trumps skeptics in the states population centers. He often would not say the presidents name, referring instead to the administration or last years Republican ticket.

In his concession speech, Mr. Gillespie made no mention of Mr. Trump, and declined to answer questions about the presidents criticism on Tuesday night.

Mr. Northam did not have to concern himself with any such political contortions running in a state that has backed the Democratic nominee for president in the last three elections, a striking reversal from an earlier day here when Virginia Democrats had to distinguish themselves from their more liberal national party.

Indeed, support for Mr. Northam represented a vote for continuity. Gov. Terry McAuliffe, a Democrat barred by state law from seeking re-election, is broadly popular, as are the states two Democratic senators, Tim Kaine and Mark Warner. Mr. McAuliffe, who was elected in 2013 during President Barack Obamas second term, was the first person in 40 years to win a Virginia governors race who was in the same party as the presidents.

In New Jersey, the Democratic ticket established a decisive advantage early in the campaign season, and that lead never flagged. Mr. Murphy, a wealthy Democratic donor who served as ambassador to Germany under Mr. Obama, ran on a message of rejecting both Mr. Trump and Mr. Christie, who is a politically toxic figure in the state.

National Republicans virtually ignored the race, viewing their nominee, Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno, as doomed by a deeply hostile political environment and her association with Mr. Christie. In Utahs Third Congressional District, John Curtis, the Republican nominee, emerged as the winner Tuesday night.

After blanketing Virginias airwaves before the primary with an ad in which he savaged the president as a narcissistic maniac, Mr. Northam struck a more sober-minded tone during the general election with another widely aired commercial in which he vowed to work with Mr. Trump when it is in the states interest.

But Virginia Democrats were in little mood to offer any olive branches to Mr. Trump on Tuesday.

Mr. Kaine, who a year ago was left achingly short of becoming vice president, was especially triumphant in speaking to supporters.

Trump-style division, pitting people against people, it is not the Virginia Way and it is not the American Way, he said.

Read more here:
With Virginia, Voters Give Democrats First Big Wins of the ...