New Jersey, Virginia Hold Gubernatorial Elections Tuesday

November 3, 2009 7:50 a.m. EST

Washington, D.C. (AHN) - Voters have begun casting ballots in the two states that have gubernatorial elections this year, amid warnings from pundits not to view the contests as tests for next year's elections. The races in New Jersey and Virginia offer widely different chances for Democrats and Republicans, with incumbent Gov. Jon Corzine and former U.S. Attorney Chris Christie statistically tied in polls in the Garden State, while Democrats are bracing for a win for Republican Bob McDonnell in the Old Dominion, a swing state.

Corzine has faced an uphill re-election bid despite the support of the White House and ethics controversies hounding Christie, such as possible violations of the Hatch Act in his conversations with former White House Deputy Chief of Staff Karl Rove and a $46,000 mortgage loan to a former aide he had failed to disclose in his financial records.

The 62-year-old Corzine is running neck-and-neck with his rival in the latest polls: 43 percent compared to Christie's 41 percent in a Monmouth/Gannet survey, 42-45 percent in SurveyUSA, and 40-42 percent in Quinnipiac University's poll.

The first-term governor last month caught up with Christie and closed his year-long deficit in polls, in part due independent candidate Chris Daggett's momentum, which hurt Christie the most. But his huge war chest --- $16.8 million compared to Christie's $5.4 million -- and the full-throated stumping of President Barack Obama on the trail -- "For the past four years, you've had an honorable man, a decent man, an honest man at the helm of this state during extraordinary times" -- apparently has not convinced voters enough to avoid a toss-up.

In Virginia, McDonnell is expected to defeat state Sen. Sen. Creigh Deeds, who has consistently trailed in polls as well as the money race in spite of controversy over an old graduate thesis of his rival that had said the "new trend of working women and feminists" was "detrimental to the family."

McDonnell, who narrowly won against Deeds in the 2005 race for state attorney general, is ahead by double-digits in polls by SurveyUSA, Mason-Dixon and Public Policy Polling. A win for him would bring the Governor's Mansion back to GOP hands for the first time since Jim Gilmore's term ended in 2001. Virginia last year chose to give its 13 electoral votes to a Democratic presidential candidate for the first time in four decades. Incumbent Gov. Tim Kaine is constrained by term limits from seeking re-election and is concurrent chairman of the Democratic National Committee.