Election 2009: McDonnell in Virginia

Republican candidate Bob McDonnell has quickly vanquished Democrat Creigh Deeds for Governor of Virginia. The race was close in June, but McDonnell broke out in recent weeks and is expected to show a healthy total when the votes are counted. With about half the count in, the former state attorney general is up 62 percent to 38 percent on state senator Deeds. He'll succeed Tim Kaine, who now serves as Democratic National Committee chair.

At McDonnell's web site, the live feed has a guy talking about a new "Republican resurgence." Commentary agrees: "All the chatter about Virginia turning 'Blue" will cease," says Jennifer Rubin. (In 2008 Barack Obama was the first Democrat to take the state since 1964.) "This is the backyard of the White House, as Karl Rove says on Fox." The GOP runs both houses of the legislature and is expected to add to their majorities tonight.