GOP strategists say the party has bounced back from the defeat of 2008 after winning Tuesday's gubernatorial elections in New Jersey and Virginia (despite President Obama's personal efforts to buoy up Democrats Jon Corzine and Creigh Deeds). Commentators are divided about what the results can teach Republicans about winning in 2010. (Watch Newt Gingrich sound off on the GOP's 2010 chances)
Republicans shouldn't go too far right: Tuesday's elections provided "the first tangible evidence" that Republicans can win over independent voters, says Dan Balz in The Washington Post. The victories of Bob McDonnell, a social conservative who campaigned as a moderate in Virginia, and Chris Christie in New Jersey showed that all it takes is "the right kind of candidates and the right messages." Still, the surprise loss of a GOP House seat in upstate New York suggests that "Republicans could squander that opportunity if they demand candidates who are too conservative to appeal to the middle."
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