Two Key Races Today

NBC News: “New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie is poised to win a second term, a rare feat for a Republican running in deep-blue New Jersey. In Virginia, an emerging swing state, longtime Democratic money-man Terry McAuliffe has built a steady lead over his deeply conservative opponent, GOP Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli.”

“The two races have highlighted the GOP’s struggle to reconcile its establishment wing with its insurgent conservative class. A victory for McAuliffe would also add credibility to Democrats’ efforts to claim Virginia – once an unambiguous GOP foothold – as a toss-up state, if not Democratic-leaning.”

Rick Klein: “The result is that the two ‘off-year’ races that have long been viewed
as national harbingers are instead offering lessons primarily to a
Republican Party that’s still engaged in a spirited fight for its own
identity.”

The Fix: How to watch the exit polls in Virginia.