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White House: Tuesday's GOP wins not about Obama

President Barack Obama waves as he steps off Air Force One upon his arrival at Dane County Regional airport inMadison, Wis., Wednesday, Nov, 4, 2009. (AP Photo/Jeffrey Phelps)

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The Associated Press Updated 5:51 PM Wednesday, November 4, 2009

WASHINGTON — The White House says that Republican wins in two governors' races were not referendums on the president.

White House press secretary Robert Gibbs told reporters Wednesday that voters went to the polls in Virginia and New Jersey to work through "very local issues that didn't involve the president." President Barack Obama's spokesman said voters were primarily concerned about the economy.

Obama called the two Republicans who won gubernatorial contests on Tuesday, Chris Christie in New Jersey and Robert McDonnell in Virginia, to offer congratulations. Obama also called the two Democrats who won special elections for congressional seats in New York and California, and independent Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who won re-election in New York City.

Gibbs acknowledged that the 2010 midterm congressional elections will be more about the Obama agenda and said the president would be an active campaigner.

Republicans turned aside both Democratic candidates in Virginia and New Jersey, raising questions about the limits of Obama's influence on his party's base of support and on the moderate lawmakers he needs to advance his legislative priorities.

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November 04, 2009 10:45 PM EST

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We know the biased left wing media will never cover the defeat of Obama. Now with two governors elected his socialist, marxist, facist agenda will never pass! This time next year there won't be one Democrat or Liberal Republican left in office. The only ones in office will think exactly like the teabaggers! The only way to protect individual liberty is for everyone to think the same.

Lookout Washington! The teabag minority is going to clean house!

fattrak
8:11 AM, 11/5/2009

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It would have been all about obama had they won. You can't have it boyh ways.
Wake up America.(Earl Pitts)
USSA

Todd
7:00 AM, 11/5/2009

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and pay no attention to the man behind the curtain

steve
5:42 AM, 11/5/2009

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The exit polls taken from Virginia's and New Jersey's governor races say that only a small percentage of voters voting against the democratic candidate did so because of their opposition to President Obama's policies. All the rest lied because they didn't want to be accuse of being racist.

c'mon man
6:18 PM, 11/4/2009

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The independents have left the democrat tent, they might have voted before for "hope and change", but after seeing the perverts and loonies that Obama has surrounded himself with and compound that with the "out there" congressional leadership, 2010 is going to be the new "Hope and Change"

HowRad
1:14 PM, 11/4/2009

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