Democrat supporters in the U.S. state of Virginia are celebrating Terry McAuliffe's victory in the race for governor.
It's the first time in nine elections the party which controls the White House has taken the Virginia governor's office.
It was a closely watched poll.
The Democrats sought to turn it into a referendum on the Republicans' Tea Party wing which favoured McAuliffe's rival, the state Attorney General.
McAuliffe won by only a narrow margin
(SOUNDBITE)(English) VIRGINIA GOVERNOR-ELECT TERRY MCAULIFFE SAYING:
"I know this has been a hard-fought race. Part of that, as you know, is the nature of politics and part of it was the Attorney General and I had some very big differences on some very important issues."
In New Jersey Republican Chris Christie easily held on to his seat.
The poll is viewed as a boost to his widely-expected bid for the White House in 2016.
(SOUNDBITE)(English) NEW JERSEY GOVERNOR CHRIS CHRISTIE SAYING:
