On paper, Terry McAuliffe has a number of significant negatives that should have dragged down his campaign. He has never held elective office; his entrepreneurial career raised some ethical red flags; his platform could be described charitably as broad, or less charitably as vague; and his appeal to Independents and […] Read more »
Virginia, New Jersey results highlight Republican Party’s divisions, problems
Tuesday’s elections, which produced a resounding Republican victory in New Jersey and a dispiriting loss for the GOP in Virginia, highlighted the challenges ahead for a badly divided party — and will probably intensify an internal debate about how to win back the White House in 2016. … The outcomes […] Read more »
Surprisingly Close Virginia Gubernatorial Contest Highlights Challenge for Democrats
… No matter what, Cuccinelli was relatively competitive in race where everything went wrong. He was decidedly outspent. His party never unified around his candidacy and a libertarian candidate was there to take advantage. The government shutdown probably didn’t help. And, of course, Cuccinneli was a pretty flawed candidate in his […] Read more »
Exit polls: Christie and McAuliffe took different paths to victory
The fact that Chris Christie rolled to a second term in New Jersey and Terry McAuliffe won in Virginia wasn’t a surprise. Public opinion polls have consistently shown both men in the lead. But the exit polls showed two very different paths to victory. Christie steamrolled hapless Democratic nominee Barbara […] Read more »
Exit Poll Results Tell a Tale of Two Republicans
Broad personal and professional appeal lifted Chris Christie to easy re-election in New Jersey, yet without the clear home state endorsement for the presidency he might have wanted. His fellow Republican, Ken Cuccinelli, lost a far closer contest in Virginia, done in by a mismatch on ideology in general and […] Read more »
Unmarried Women Overwhelmingly Support Terry McAuliffe in Virginia Governor’s Race
By a landslide 42 points, unmarried women favored Democrat Terry McAuliffe over his Republican challenger in the Virginia governor’s race, exit polling shows. 67 percent of unmarried women (single, divorced, widowed, or separated) voted for McAuliffe as compared to just 25 percent for Cuccinelli. … Pollster Stan Greenberg of Democracy […] Read more »