By now you know that Republicans had a big night.
In Virginia, Glenn Youngkin defeated Terry McAuliffe. More GOP wins down-ballot have reversed years of Democratic gains.
SEE ALSO: Election Day Updates and Results
Despite their best efforts, Joe Biden, Barack Obama and Kamala Harris all failed to push McAuliffe over the finish line.
However, the New Jersey governor’s race remains the biggest surprise of the night.
With approximately 88% of the vote counted, Republican Jack Ciattarelli has a 0.1% lead over Democrat Gov. Phil Murphy.
Per POLITICO:
Republican strongholds Ciattarelli was counting on — especially Ocean County, the biggest GOP vote-producing county in the state — saw massive turnout while traffic to the polls appeared milquetoast in the state’s urban, heavily Democratic areas.
By the early morning, incomplete and unofficial returns showed Ciattarelli and Murphy virtually tied. Murphy told supporters he would wait until all the voters were counted — and that he hopes to win — but his Republican opponent all but declared victory.
“I wanted to come out here tonight and tell you that we won,” Ciattarelli told a jubilant crowd a Marriott hotel in Bridgewater. “I’m here to tell you that’s we’re winning,”
Whether Murphy wins or loses, the results offer a massive reality check for New Jersey Democrats — and further deepens the damage done to the party nationally on Tuesday, when Republican Glenn Youngkin beat Democrat Terry McAuliffe to flip Virginia red.
Are you surprised that yesterday’s high voter turnout in blue states benefited Republicans more than Democrats? (RELATED: New Poll Shows Virginia Isn’t the Only State Democrats Have to Worry About This Fall)
