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Summary
Republicans have scored victories in two key US elections for governor, a year after Barack Obama was voted in as president.In Virginia, Republican candidate Bob McDonnell won by a comfortable margin, while another, Chris Christie, ousted the Democrat governor in New Jersey. In New York, independent Mayor Michael Bloomberg narrowly won a third term over Democrat challenger Bill Thompson. Congressional seats are also up for grab in New York and California. While local issues have been paramount in these races, analysts say a win could boost party morale ahead of 2010 mid-term ballots.
