Big Wins For Democrats

Democrats Score Election Victories In N.J., Virginia, California

(CBS/AP)  The elections took place at the lowest point in Mr. Bush's five-year presidency with his approval ratings plunging below 40 percent in some polls. Republicans, who control both house of Congress, have been further damaged by criminal charges against powerful congressman Tom DeLay, who was forced to give up his leadership position, and an investigation into the leading Republican in the Senate, Bill Frist.

Both governors' races were marked by record-breaking spending – a total of over $70 million in New Jersey - and vicious personal attacks.

In his concession speech, Forrester urged Corzine to bring the state together. Corzine acknowledged that the campaign had been painful.

"Sometimes, innocent bystanders are hurt in politics. ... Some seen, some unseen. And I hope we can push beyond this," he said, appearing with his three grown children.

Warner — who had campaigned hard for Kaine — declared: "Tonight, Virginians from one end of our commonwealth to the other said no to negative campaigning." Kaine's victory was likely to boost Warner's profile as a possible 2008 presidential candidate.

Corzine and Forrester, both multimillionaires, spent upward of $70 million to succeed Codey, who assumed the office last year when Democratic incumbent Jim McGreevey resigned over a homosexual affair.

A voter survey in New Jersey found women favored Corzine by more than 20 points while men narrowly preferred Forrester. Two-thirds of Hispanics and nearly all blacks favored the U.S. senator, while whites and wealthier people split their votes between the candidates. Self-described independents favored Corzine narrowly over Forrester.

Most voters said President Bush was not a factor in their choices Tuesday, according to the survey conducted Tuesday by the AP and its polling partner, Ipsos. The survey was based on interviews with 1,280 adults throughout New Jersey who said they voted in the governor's election.

Survey results were weighted to age, race, sex, education, region and 2004 vote. The margin of sampling error was plus or minus 2.5 percentage points.

Corzine, as governor, will have the power to choose a successor to fill his unexpired Senate term. The seat will be up for election in a year, but whoever Corzine appoints will likely have a big advantage in that election.

In California, where Schwarzenegger faces re-election next year, the four ballot measures he pushed were seen as a referendum on his leadership. All four were rejected as public employee unions and Democrats who control the Legislature campaigned against propositions to limit the use of union dues for political purposes, cap state spending, redraw legislative districts and restrict public school teacher tenure.

In other races:

In Detroit, Democat Kwame Kilpatrick defeated mayoral challenger Freman Hendrix, a deputy mayor under Kilpatrick's predecessor.

San Diego surf-shop owner Donna Frye, a maverick Democratic councilwoman who nearly won the mayor's race in a write-in bid last year, lost to Republican Jerry Sanders, a former police chief backed by the city's business establishment.

In Houston, voters re-elected Democratic Mayor Bill White to a second two-year term, in a non-partisan election.

Atlanta's first female mayor, Shirley Franklin, a member of the Democratic National Committee, easily defeated two little-known challengers in her bid for a second term.

Boston Mayor Thomas Menino, a Democrat, won his fourth term.

Four years after riots tore Cincinnati apart, voters elected the city's first black mayor, State Sen. Mark Mallory.

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©MMV CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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