Democrat Lt. Gov. Tim Kaine won the Virginia governor's race Tuesday, soundly defeating Republican Jerry Kilgore in a contest for a GOP- leaning state that was closely watched by political analysts for signs of the public's mood ahead of next year's midterm elections. In New Jersey, Democratic Sen. Jon Corzine opened up a strong lead against Republican Doug Forrester with a third of precincts counted.
Kilgore lost despite a last-minute rally with President Bush and a harsh campaign ad that alleged that Kaine, a Roman Catholic opposed to the death penalty, would not have executed Adolf Hitler.
Kaine had 812,235 votes, or 51.2 percent, to Kilgore's 737,747 votes, or 46.5 percent, with 82 percent of precincts reporting.
In New Jersey, Corzine had 413,431 votes, or 52.9 percent, and Forrester had 344,937 votes, or 44.1 percent.
