Democrats seize Virginia and New Jersey governorships in elections seen as precursors of 2018 fights
WASHINGTON - Democrat Ralph Northam swept to victory in the race for Virginia governor on Tuesday in a night of political retaliation against President Donald Trump that also saw a Democratic gubernatorial win in New Jersey.
Northam's victory sketched out a path that Democratic strategists hope other candidates can follow in next year's contest for control of Congress.
He piled up big margins in the suburbs of northern Virginia, the most populous and voter-rich area of the state, where animosity toward the president runs deep. At the same time, Northam, the lieutenant governor, also fared better than many Democrats have in more rural areas, preventing the Republican candidate, Ed Gillespie, from
