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Republicans make it a clean sweep
The top three Republicans won Virginia in a clean sweep on Tuesday, claiming the Governor's Mansion, along with the lieutenant governor and attorney general's posts.By 9 p.m. on Election Night, with 82 percent of the vote in, gubernatorial candidate Bob McDonnell had clearly won Virginia handily. The former attorney general was leading with 60 percent of the vote to Democrat Creigh Deeds' 40 percent.
Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling easily won re-election, bringing in 58 percent statewide to challenger Jody Wagner's 42 percent.
State Sen. Ken Cuccinelli (R-37th) pulled down 59 percent statewide over his Democratic challenger, Fairfax Del. Steve Shannon (D-35th).
The results will not be finalized until they are officially tallied.
Voting at Jennie Dean Elementary School in Manassas, Jerry Noll said he cast his ballot for the Republican ticket to "protest against the Obama administration because of the high spending and large deficits they're running up."
Of McDonnell, Noll said he “seems to have a detailed plan for what he intends to do when he gets in."
On the other side of the political spectrum, Andrew Barton, voting at Baldwin Elementary School, said he picked the Democrats because he cares most about transportation and education.
"I'd like to see more done with the Metro and extend it out to some additional places,” he said, adding that he likes Deeds because of "the kind of approach he's taken to politics."
By 9 p.m., with the bloodbath winding down, Virginia Democratic Chairman Richard Cranwell released a statement saying that "Democrats are eager to work in partnership with our next governor to ensure that Virginia continues its success, even in trying times, and with pragmatic bi-partisan leadership, our commonwealth's future will be as bright as its past."
The long-expected Republican sweep reversed the state's recent trend toward Democrats. Virginians elected Democratic President Barack Obama and U.S. Sen. Mark Warner last November and before that, chose U.S. Sen. Jim Webb, and governors Warner and Tim Kaine, all Democrats.
Political experts had predicted a Republican backlash this cycle and voters didn't disappoint.
William Craig, a 75-year-old Marsteller Middle School voter, said Tuesday that he and his fellow Republicans were “trying to undo the bloodless coup" of the Obama election.
“Never had such a devastation” as the 2008 election, Craig said as he arrived to help put the Republicans back in office -- in Virginia, at least.
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