New Jersey and Virginia both had gubernatorial elections today, and there is also, of course, the infamous NY-23 race. So far, the GOP has claimed victory in Virginia already.

Republican Bob McDonnell has easily won the Virginia governor’s race just a year after the state went overwhelmingly for President Barack Obama and the Democrats.

Unofficial results show the former attorney general defeating Creigh (kree) Deeds and returning a Republican to the governor’s office for the first time in eight years.

This race and the contest for governor of New Jersey are viewed as the first referendum on the president and the Democratic Congress before the 2010 mid-term elections.

A year ago, Obama became the first Democrat in 44 years to carry Virginia in a presidential race.

… With about 11 percent of precincts reporting, McDonnell had about two-thirds of the vote over Democrat R. Creigh Deeds.

Interviews with voters leaving polling stations in Virginia showed that independents broke heavily for McDonnell, fleeing Deeds. Independents are considered the crown jewel of elections because they often determine outcomes.

Unsurprising news so far.

In New York, The Hill is claiming a victory for Hoffman (albeit prematurely). We’ll have to stay tuned for the final results in both NJ and NY.

The thing the Republican party needs to remember here, and especially in the NY-23 race, is that they can claim no credit for these victories. In fact, in the NY-23 race, Doug Hoffman will have won in spite of the GOP. It should be sending a pretty clear message to the Republicans like Meghan McCain who like to say that Americans want a “moderate”, Democrat-lite version of the GOP. Democrats haven’t won in NY-23 in over 110 years, and yet here they are, contenders to take the seat because the GOP decided to go for a Republican that would surely get the Meghan McCain stamp of approval. What does that tell you? Abandoning conservative principles to get liberals in the media to like you does not win you voters, and it’s a testament to Doug Hoffman, not the GOP, that he could walk away tonight victorious.

I’ll keep updating over the next 24 hours as the results come in. Stay tuned!

UPDATE: The AP confirms McDonnell’s win; says the NJ race is still too close to call. Notes that independents are heavily favoring Christie.

UPDATE: The AP is now reporting that Christie has gained an early lead, with Christie at 52%, Corzine at 41%, and Daggett at 6%.

If Corzine does lose, it should send shivers up Obama’s spine. He campaigned for Corzine. What does it say about Obama if his man loses? It would be a huge slap in the face and it shows that Obamamania is completely over.

UPDATE: Deeds has conceded in the VA race. So the GOP officially has one victory.

UPDATE: As of 9:40 pm, The Watertown Daily Times is listing the NY-23 results with Hoffman trailing Owens. Uh-oh…

UPDATE: Obama, is, shockingly enough, not watching the results. He’s too busy watching basketball:

President Obama is not planning to watch Tuesday nights election returns, Obama aides Robert Gibbs and David Axelrod tell CNN.

Obama is more likely to watch Tuesday night’s Chicago Bulls game than any political coverage, according to Axelrod.

The president’s senior staff have also decided not to hold a watch party to keep an eye on election returns as they come in.

White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs was spotted in workout clothes leaving the White House campus at 7 p.m. ET, just as polls were closing in Virginia. Axelrod told CNN he has a dinner outside the White House to attend.

Of course: thousands of voters are speaking up about how angry they are. They’re upset about taxes, the economy, and government corruption. And what does Obama do? He ignores them to watch a little basketball. Is it because it’s too heavy for his little empty suit brain to comprehend, or does he not want his delicate ego to get battered so early? He did, after all, campaign for both Democrats Deeds and Corzine in VA and NJ, respectively. Whatever the reason, this is your president, America. You’re speaking up, and he’s choosing not to listen.

Glad you voted for hope and change now??

UPDATE: Christie is leading by six with 58% of precincts reporting. In NY-23, it is looking like Hoffman is slowly closing the gap.

UPDATE: Christie wins NJ, according to the AP. It looks to me like we’re going to get two out of three. I’m thinking that NY-23 is going to go to Owens, although it’s still early. Owens has a good lead though, and thanks to the GOP’s bungling of the race, Hoffman had an uphill battle.

As I said above, if Hoffman does somehow win, it will be in spite of the GOP, not because of them.

And with that, my friends, I am going to bed. The NY-23 race won’t be decided for hours, and I have to work in the morning. I’ll see you all bright and early with hopefully a Republican sweep of the East Coast!

UPDATE: Hoffman has conceded. Expect Democrats and the Meghan McCain’s of the GOP to trumpet this as a sign that moderates are what the public really wants, because if they wanted conservatives, they would’ve voted for Doug Hoffman. No mention of the party’s bungling of this race, of course… it’ll just be about how the GOP needs to be less “extremist” and more moderate (meaning more Democrat-lite). Watch.