Christie re-elected as New Jersey governor

Chris Christie has been overwhelmingly re-elected as governor of New Jersey, establishing a new electoral template that moderate Republicans hope can be used around the country to push back against the influence of the Tea Party.

Mr Christie's win contrasted with the loss in Virginia of the Republican candidate, Ken Cuccinelli, who was beaten by the Democrats' Terry McAuliffe, a longtime fundraiser for Bill and Hillary Clinton.

Mr Christie received 60 percent of the vote compared to 39 per cent for his Democratic opponent Barbara Buono, with 84 percent of precincts counted, according to the Associated Press.

Although it is difficult to draw out national trends from two state races with their own local quirks, many Republicans have held up Mr Christie as an example of a candidate who has succeeded even while ignoring the party's far right.

"If there is a message for conservatives, it is Christie's 60 per cent-odd victory in a deep blue [Democratic] state," said Larry Sabato, of the University of Virginia.

Mr Christie governed as a fiscal conservative and picked fights with unions but has also tried to work with Democrats in the state legislature. At the same time, he has played down his opposition to abortion and same-sex marriage.

In his victory speech, Mr Christie played up the notion that his win could have national implications. He is seen as a possible candidate for the Republican presidential nomination in 2016.

"If we can do this in Trenton, New Jersey, then maybe the folks in Washington will tune in their TVs and see how it is done," he said.

In Virginia, Mr Cuccinelli's social conservatism made him an easy target for a torrent of advertisements aimed mainly at women voters from Mr McAuliffe's far better-funded campaign.

According to exit polls, Mr McAuliffe polled strongly among women, especially single and professional women in the suburbs of north Virginia adjoining Washington.

Speaking after his win, Mr McAuliffe thanked Republicans who had voted for him. "You were powerful messengers for our mainstream campaign," he said.

However, Mr Cuccinelli lost by a much smaller margin than had been tipped in recent polls, potentially blunting the message that moderate Republicans hoped would be delivered by the poll.

"Conservative Republicans will take heart from the fact that Cuccinelli did better than expected," Mr Sabato said.

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Republicans across the board will take heart from the fact that Mr Cuccinelli ran hard in the final weeks of the campaign against Mr Obama's healthcare law, and picked up support along the way.

Mr Christie's margin of victory is significant, as it will help determine what kind of impact his win has within the party outside of New Jersey. He also polled well among African-Americans and Hispanics, two voter groups where Republicans lag.

Mr McAuliffe benefited from support on the campaign trail from Bill Clinton and also, last Sunday, Barack Obama. By contrast, the Democratic party gave little support to Mr Christie's opponent, Ms Buono.

Ms Buono was bitter in her concession speech, saying her campaign had "withstood the onslaught of betrayal from our own political party".

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