Democrats reclaimed the governor's mansions in Virginia and New Jersey Tuesday, while the New York City prize went to Michael Bloomberg, the billionaire media mogul who switched from Democrat to Republican to run for mayor.
In an off-year election mayors were being elected also in Atlanta, Miami, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Seattle, Detroit and elsewhere.
The marquee race was the New York mayoral contest. Bloomberg, who spent $50 million of his own fortune on the race, battled back in the last few weeks of a campaign interrupted by the murderous attacks on the World Trade Center towers. In a city with a 5-to-1 Democratic registration, he overtook Public Advocate Mark Green, chomping away at his 16 point lead, propelled by a late race endorsement from Mayor Rudolph Giuliani.
Bloomberg inherits a city facing a chilling loss in tax revenue because of the destruction of the financial center.
Across the river in New Jersey, Woodbridge Mayor Jim McGreevey enjoyed a landslide victory over former Jersey City Mayor Bret Schundler to recapture the statehouse in Trenton for the Democrats.
McGreevey faces his own financial hurdles with the economic slump leaving a $3 billion hole in the state budget. Residents already pay the nation's highest property taxes and auto insurance rates so the new governor has little wiggle room.
In Virginia Mark Warner, a Democrat with little political experience defeated former attorney general Mark Earley to become the state's first Democratic governor since 1989.
Warner campaigned as a fiscal conservative and was helped by the failure of the Republican controlled legislature to reach a budget agreement with Gov. Jim Gilmore, the chairman of the Republican National Committee.
Elsewhere in Houston it appeared mayor Lee Brown was headed for a runoff with City Councilman Orlando Sanchez. Brown needed 50 percent of the vote to avoid a runoff but only garnered about 43 percent to Sanchez 40 percent. Brown is the first black mayor of the nation's fourth largest city and while he touted his success in drawing attention to the city with an Olympics bid, he was hurt by a cost-saving move in the fire department that left some trucks short-handed.
In Atlanta Shirley Franklin, a black woman who had the support of former mayors Maynard Jackson and Andrew Young was leading City Council President Robb Pitts but needs 50 percent plus one vote to avoid a runoff.
Kwame Kilpatrick, 31, had a strong lead in the Detroit mayor's race an appeared likely to become the youngest person elected to that office. However the final outcome might be delayed because of a dispute over absentee ballots.
In suburban Dearborn, incumbent Michael Guido handily defeated Wayne County prosecutor Abed Hammoud, an Arab-American in a race where Sept. 11 was an under-the-radar issue.
Incumbent Miami Mayor Joe Carollo was defeated for re-election in a 10-candidate field. Former Mayor Maurice Ferre got the most votes and faces Manny Diaz, a lawyer who represented the family of Elian Gonzalez, in a runoff next Tuesday.
In Ohio incumbent Mayor Charlie Luken won re-election in a race overshadowed by racial unrest that has beleaguered the city. In Cleveland Cuyahoga County Commissioner Jane Campbell was holding a lead over attorney Raymond Pierce.
The race for mayor in Seattle remained tight between City Attorney Mark Sidran and King County Commissioner Greg Nickels. Nickels was leading 53 percent to 47 percent with 33 percent of the vote counted.
