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Democrats keep two governorshipsKaine and Corzine projected to win in Virginia and New Jersey
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YOUR E-MAIL ALERTS(CNN) -- Democrats kept their grip on the governorships of Virginia and New Jersey in Tuesday's off-year elections, while New York City's Republican mayor easily secured a second term in the Democratic stronghold. Nearly complete returns showed Democratic Lt. Gov. Tim Kaine with a clear victory over Republican Jerry Kilgore for Virginia governor, despite a late-moment appearance on Kilgore's behalf by President Bush. In the race for New Jersey governor, CNN projected Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Corzine would defeat Republican businessman Doug Forrester, culminating the most expensive race in the Garden State's history. In New York City's mayoral race, Republican Michael Bloomberg easily won a second term, defeating Democrat Fernando Ferrer, according to a projection by The Associated Press. Californians were also giving their verdict on four ballot measures that have become a major political test for Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. Two states voted on gay rights ballot measures to apparently mixed results. In Texas, a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage was being overwhelmingly approved. But in Maine, a measure that would repeal a state law outlawing discrimination against gay men and lesbians was trailing by a wide margin in early returns. Democrat leads red stateIn Virginia, Kaine and Kilgore, a former state attorney general, were vying to replace the popular Democratic Gov. Mark Warner, who was barred by state law from seeking a second term. Introducing Kaine to supporters in the Republican-leaning state, Warner said, "This race has raised some eyebrows." Kaine told the crowd gathered in Richmond that the second consecutive election of a Democratic governor in Virginia "proved the naysayers wrong." "We proved that Virginians want a government that puts partisanship aside and governs from what is sensible," Kaine said. With about 99 percent of precincts reporting, Kaine was leading with 51.6 percent of the vote to Kilgore's 46.2 percent, according to unofficial results from the state. Pre-election polls had shown a neck-and-neck race. Kaine appeared to have benefited from the popularity of Warner, who has been mentioned as a possible 2008 Democratic presidential candidate. He could also have been helped by a third candidate in the race, GOP state Sen. Russell Potts, whose independent candidacy was carrying 2.2 percent of the vote. While initially rejecting offers of help from Bush, Kilgore appeared Monday night with the commander in chief at a large Richmond rally. (Full Story) In a controversial move, Kilgore faulted Kaine for his opposition to the death penalty, which Kaine said goes against his Catholic faith. In an ad, a father of a murder victim said Kaine would not seek the death penalty for Adolf Hitler. Kaine said the attack was an unfair attack on his faith and said he would carry out his oath of office and enforce Virginia's death penalty laws if elected. Nasty race in New JerseyCorzine addressed his supporters in New Jersey late Tuesday, expressing gratitude and saying he had taken a "gracious" concession call from Forrester, the GOP's unsuccessful U.S. Senate candidate in 2002. But he also took a swipe at his opponent's campaign tactics, comparing them to those of Karl Rove, the president's top political adviser. "I want to thank the people of New Jersey for rejecting the Bush-Rove tactics that we see in politics," Corzine said. Corzine's projected win will create a vacancy in the Senate. He will pick a successor once he becomes governor, and the new senator will have to run for re-election next year. Corzine was leading with 53.5 percent of the vote to Forrester's 43.2 percent, with about 91 percent of precincts reporting, according to results reported by the AP. Both men are multimillionaires who pumped their own money into what became an increasingly nasty race in the solidly Democratic state. Together they spent more than $70 million on the campaign. The campaign was harsh at times, with both candidates trading charges of corruption. Forrester's campaign aired ads featuring Corzine's ex-wife. New Jersey Democrats also were damaged by a messy scandal last year in which former Gov. Jim McGreevey resigned after admitting to an extramarital affair with a male aide and acknowledging he was gay. Forrester tried to tie Corzine to the Democrats' problems in Trenton and Corzine attempted to tie Forrester to Bush, who lost New Jersey by nearly 250,000 votes last year. No contest in New YorkIn New York City, Bloomberg's race with Ferrer, a former Bronx borough president, appeared to be a mismatch, despite a more than 5-to-1 Democratic advantage in registered voters in the Big Apple. With 32 percent of precincts reporting, Bloomberg had 56 percent of the votes cast, compared with Ferrer's 41 percent, according to the AP. Recent polls had shown Bloomberg with a lead of more than 30 points. The mayor smiled and gave a thumbs-up Tuesday morning after voting at a Manhattan school. He ended his campaign Monday night with an appearance at the top of the Empire State Building. Bloomberg, a billionaire media mogul, was a political novice when he was elected just two months after the attacks of September 11, 2001, with the support of then-Mayor Rudolph Giuliani. As he did four years ago, Bloomberg dipped into his vast personal fortune to finance his campaign, which spent more than $28 million on television ads, according to TNS Media Intelligence/Campaign Media Analysis Group, CNN's consultant on advertising spending. California initiativesSchwarzenegger -- a Republican swept into office two years ago in a recall election in which disgruntled voters ousted Democratic Gov. Gray Davis -- called a special election in June to push four ballot initiatives. The move made good on his vow to go over the heads of Democratic legislators and take his reform agenda straight to the people. But in the months since, the bodybuilder-turned-actor-turned-politician has seen his approval numbers sink, as Californians questioned the necessity and $50 million price tag of the special election. In early returns, voters split almost in half on initiatives to limit tenure for teachers. With 17 percent of the precincts reporting, 50.1 percent voted for the initiative, while 49.9 percent opposed it. Early results also gave a slight edge to a measure prohibiting public employee unions from using dues for political activities without the workers' permission. With 19 percent of precincts reporting, 54 percent approved of the measure, and 46.2 opposed it. Schwarzenegger's initiatives to cap the growth of state spending and to strip legislators of the power to redraw congressional and legislative districts trailed in early results. With 19 percent of precincts reporting, 58 percent voted against the spending caps and 54 percent voted against the redistricting initiative. Many political observers in the Golden State believe a string of defeats in Tuesday's ballot initiatives could portend ill for Schwarzenegger's re-election prospects in 2006. He announced in September that he would seek a full term next year. The governor and his wife, Maria Shriver, cast their ballots Tuesday in a garage near their Los Angeles home. After voting, they got into an SUV and left, without stopping to comment to reporters. California polls closed at 8 p.m. (11 p.m. ET) Other racesCNN's Chris Huntington, Candy Crowley, Robert Yoon and Bill Schneider contributed to this report. Copyright 2005 CNN. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Associated Press contributed to this report. 
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