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Democrats win NYC and Virginia

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Democrats retook Republican strongholds in New York's city hall and the Virginia governor's mansion on Tuesday, while a Republican with potential presidential hopes won reelection easily in New Jersey.

Tuesday's vote was the first major round of balloting in the United States since President Barack Obama won a second term in the White House last year. Some races were seen as litmus tests for future national voting.

In the nation's largest city New York, old-style progressive Bill de Blasio became its first Democratic mayor in a generation, since 1989, even though New York is overall largely Democrat.

Another key race, for the governorship of the southern state of Virginia, turned out to be a nail-biter, but in the end Democrat Terry McAuliffe won in the otherwise strongly Republican state bordering the nation's capital.

New Jersey's Republican Governor Chris Christie handily defeated his Democrat challenger, earning a second four-year term in a race some pundits said would serve as a platform for a future presidential bid.

Christie is a straight-talking moderate Republican who won much praise for his handling of the devastation wrought on his state last year by Superstorm Sandy.

He is increasingly seen as a contender for the Republican nomination for the White House in 2016 given his pragmatism, charisma and ability to command cross-party support.