RICHMOND, Va. — Republican Bob McDonnell tapped Virginia’s independent voters last night to win a landslide election for governor just a year after the state bucked tradition and voted for President Obama.
McDonnell, a conservative former state attorney general, had about 60 percent of the vote to Democrat Creigh Deeds’ 40 percent, with most precincts reporting. He takes back the governor’s office after eight years of Democratic control.
The election largely turned on independent voters, who preferred McDonnell by nearly a 2-1 ratio over Deeds, exit polls showed. In 2008, independents split about evenly between the parties.
“I just got tackled by my five kids and my wife, and there are a lot of tears on my cheeks right now,” McDonnell said.
The race has been closely watched as a potential referendum on Obama and his policies. Obama was the first Democrat in 44 years to carry Virginia in a presidential race. Virginia voters were split on Obama’s job performance, exit polls showed.
While many said the president was not a factor in their votes for governor, about a quarter said their vote for McDonnell was also a rejection of Obama.
“I hope this will kind of send a message to Congress that you better do what we want or we won’t re-elect you,” said Linda Doland, 60, a Richmond nanny who voted for McDonnell.