Republican Bob McDonnell of Virginia Beach swept to an easy victory Tuesday night and will become the state's 71st governor, marking a reversal of fortunes for his party in Virginia.
But after taking office in January, analysts say he will have to reach beyond party lines to deal with a horrendous state budget that defies easy or popular fixes.
It was an early night for McDonnell, with the Associated Press declaring him the victor over Democrat Creigh Deeds less than an hour after the polls closed.
With about 87 percent of the returns in, the Virginia Beach Republican had 60 percent of the vote to 40 percent for Deeds, a state senator from Bath County.
"I am ready to go work to serve you and help lead Virginia for the next four years," McDonnell told cheering supporters.
The McDonnell victory headlined a three-way sweep of the top statewide offices and brought Democratic momentum to a halt in the Old Dominion.
The Democrats had won the last two races for governor, two U.S. Senate seats and gained control of the state Senate. President Barack Obama put Virginia in the Democratic column last year for the first time since 1964.
Some will herald this as the start of a national turn-around for the GOP. Only this state and New Jersey elected governors last night, and both states were closely watched as indicators of the national mood, although many cautioned about over-analyzing the results.
The more immediate problem confronting the governor-elect — the budget — calls for a bipartisan approach, said Charles W. Dunn. He is dean of the Robertson School of Government at Regent University, where McDonnell studied law and public policy.
"He's been campaigning as a Republican and as a conservative," said Dunn. "He's got to reach out beyond the boundary lines of the constituency that elected him and demonstrate that he's the governor of everyone."
McDonnell will inherit a financial mess that will make it difficult to deliver on every campaign promise.
He has vowed to expand a job-creating tax credit for businesses, boost health care and divert money to transportation — all without raising taxes.
But budget analysts say more pain awaits him, not extra money.
"I think it will be a fairly rude awakening," said Michael Cassidy, executive director of The Commonwealth Institute for Fiscal Analysis.
Reforming the tax code, closing loopholes and taking a hard look at tax breaks and giveaways are some options for McDonnell to consider, he said.
The Republican also might consider joining the call for an extension of stimulus funds on Medicaid, the federal-state health insurance program.
Republicans have generally blasted the stimulus plan, but boosting Medicaid would "take huge pressure off the state budget," Cassidy said.
"It's one thing to be opposed to an economic stimulus when you don't have to put together a state budget," he continued. "But when you do, and you have technical options available, it would certainly be in Virginia's best interest to try and do that."
Another analyst issued a similar budget warning
"Virginia's state budget will experience the full force of the worst economic downturn since the 1930s," writes James J. Regimbal Jr. of Fiscal Analytics Ltd., a former veteran staffer of the Senate Finance Committee.
But after taking office in January, analysts say he will have to reach beyond party lines to deal with a horrendous state budget that defies easy or popular fixes.
It was an early night for McDonnell, with the Associated Press declaring him the victor over Democrat Creigh Deeds less than an hour after the polls closed.
With about 87 percent of the returns in, the Virginia Beach Republican had 60 percent of the vote to 40 percent for Deeds, a state senator from Bath County.
"I am ready to go work to serve you and help lead Virginia for the next four years," McDonnell told cheering supporters.
The McDonnell victory headlined a three-way sweep of the top statewide offices and brought Democratic momentum to a halt in the Old Dominion.
The Democrats had won the last two races for governor, two U.S. Senate seats and gained control of the state Senate. President Barack Obama put Virginia in the Democratic column last year for the first time since 1964.
Some will herald this as the start of a national turn-around for the GOP. Only this state and New Jersey elected governors last night, and both states were closely watched as indicators of the national mood, although many cautioned about over-analyzing the results.
The more immediate problem confronting the governor-elect — the budget — calls for a bipartisan approach, said Charles W. Dunn. He is dean of the Robertson School of Government at Regent University, where McDonnell studied law and public policy.
"He's been campaigning as a Republican and as a conservative," said Dunn. "He's got to reach out beyond the boundary lines of the constituency that elected him and demonstrate that he's the governor of everyone."
McDonnell will inherit a financial mess that will make it difficult to deliver on every campaign promise.
He has vowed to expand a job-creating tax credit for businesses, boost health care and divert money to transportation — all without raising taxes.
But budget analysts say more pain awaits him, not extra money.
"I think it will be a fairly rude awakening," said Michael Cassidy, executive director of The Commonwealth Institute for Fiscal Analysis.
Reforming the tax code, closing loopholes and taking a hard look at tax breaks and giveaways are some options for McDonnell to consider, he said.
The Republican also might consider joining the call for an extension of stimulus funds on Medicaid, the federal-state health insurance program.
Republicans have generally blasted the stimulus plan, but boosting Medicaid would "take huge pressure off the state budget," Cassidy said.
"It's one thing to be opposed to an economic stimulus when you don't have to put together a state budget," he continued. "But when you do, and you have technical options available, it would certainly be in Virginia's best interest to try and do that."
Another analyst issued a similar budget warning
"Virginia's state budget will experience the full force of the worst economic downturn since the 1930s," writes James J. Regimbal Jr. of Fiscal Analytics Ltd., a former veteran staffer of the Senate Finance Committee.
