Chris Christie won decisively with a campaign that appealed to moderates but alienated the conservative wing of his party. Photograph: Eduardo Munoz /Reuters
THE GUARDIAN
Christie's emphatic win in New Jersey cemented his position as a contender for the Republican presidential nomination in 2016 and provided a boost to moderates in the GOP who have been battling with hardline conservatives.During his campaign, Christie made a virtue of working with Democrats such as president Obama on bipartisan issues – in contrast to Cruz and other the hardliners who were blamed for the recent federal government shutdown. He is also seen as much less divisive on social issues such as abortion and gun control.
The victory in New Jersey contrasted with defeat in Virginia, were the Tea Party-backed Republican Ken Cuccinelli lost to Democrat Terry McAuliffe. The race was closer than expected, but nonetheless represented a blow to Republicans; the first time since 1973 the party in the White House has won the state's gubernatorial race.
In Virginia, a traditional swing-state he had been tipped to win just a few months ago.
Polls indicated that anger over the government shutdown, which was sharply felt in parts of northern Virginia, as well as discomfort with Cuccinelli's deeply conservative views, handed the race to McAuliffe, a controversial Democratic fundraiser and close ally of Bill and Hillary Clinton.
In New York, a Democrat won the race for city mayor for the first time in 20 years, with a landslide victory for Bill de Blasio. In Alabama, a closely-watched Republican primary was won by Bradley Byrne, in what was considered a victory for the party establishment against another Tea Party-inspired candidate, Dean Young.
Amid heated debate over the ramifications of the elections, one notable similarity between the major victors, Christie and McAuliffe, was that they both significantly outspent their rivals, deploying negative attack ads to undermine their opponents.
"We shouldn't lose focus on the fundamentals," said Republican strategist Martin Baker, a former adviser to Newt Gingrich's presidential campaign. He added that the races are "textbook examples that money and mechanics remain critical to a successful campaign."
MICHAEL TOMASKY DAILY BEAST
In New Jersey, Chris Christie may have won big, but the same voters gave him a little slap in the face. During his first term, Christie vetoed a minimum wage increase. But Tuesday, Jersey voters, like those in SeaTac, backed a minimum wage increase for the state, up to $8.25. Combine that with the exit poll result showing that New Jersey’s voters Tuesday would back Hillary Clinton over him for president by 50-43, [] and it places as asterisk alongside Christie’s superficially staggering reelect number.