New Jersey and Virginia Follow Historical Trend, Democrat Captures NY 23 for First Time in More Than 100 Years after GOP Civil War Erupts Between Moderates and Conservatives
WASHINGTON, Nov. 4 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- DNC Chairman Tim Kaine released the following statement on tonight's election results.
(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080519/DNCLOGO )
"In both Virginia and New Jersey we had strong candidates who were running against a significant historical tide and faced uphill battles from the start of this campaign. In New Jersey, the party in power in the White House hasn't won the Governor's office since 1985 and the party in power in the White House hasn't won the Governor's office in Virginia since 1977. It would have been historic if not unprecedented to win one or both of these races given historical trends.
"These races turned on local and state issues and circumstances and on the candidates in each race - and despite what some will certainly claim - the results are not predictive of the future or reflective of the national mood or political environment. Exit polls showed that both races turned on local issues. And, in each state, the President's approval ratings are better today than the share of the vote he received in each state in 2008.
"However, perhaps the most consequential race of the night was the special election in the 23(rd) Congressional District of New York in which the Republican candidate, a moderate, was purged from the Republican Party by the most extreme elements of the conservative right wing including Sarah Palin, Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck. This race turned out to be the worst of all possible worlds for Republicans as not only did the Democrat, Bill Owens, win a seat that Democrats have not held in more than 100 years, but what occurred in New York has exposed a war within the Republican Party that will not soon end. It played itself out in Pennsylvania earlier this year when longtime Republican Senator Arlen Specter became a Democrat and is playing itself out in House, Senate and Gubernatorial races nationwide. The all out war between Republicans and the far right wing is a disaster for the Republican Party and will dog it well after today."
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