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                       US Local Elections Set for Tuesday

   Voters will be deciding a handful of key elections in the United States
   on Tuesday.
   In the year after a presidential election in the U.S., there are not as
   many elections across the country. But two states in the eastern part
   of the country --- New Jersey and Virginia --- are electing governors.
   Numerous large cities, including New York, Atlanta, Boston, Houston and
   Miami, are electing mayors.
   Political analysts in the U.S. are looking for clues from Tuesday`s
   results about congressional elections across the country one year from
   now, when all 435 members of the House of Representatives face voters
   and a third of the 100-member Senate does as well.
   In New Jersey, a state that borders New York City, incumbent Governor
   Chris Christie, a Republican, is expected to cruise to re-election. He
   has emphasized his appeal across political lines to independents and
   Democrats, possibly with an eye to running for president in 2016.
   In the mid-Atlantic state of Virginia, surveys show a staunch
   Republican conservative, Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli, is fighting
   an uphill battle for the governor`s seat against business entrepreneur
   Terry McAuliffe. He is a former national Democratic Party leader and
   close confidant of former President Bill Clinton and his wife, former
   Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
   Political scientist John Gilmour at the College of William and Mary in
   Virginia said he does not see any over-riding theme from this year`s
   contests, but noted that a McAuliffe victory would end a long trend in
   that state.
   "For several decades, whichever party has won the presidential election
   has lost the Virginia governor`s election. And it looks this time very
   likely as though that tradition is going to be broken and a Democrat
   will win the Virginia governorship after a Democrat won the presidency
   the year before. That is really surprising. "
   The two statewide elections could give an indication of current voter
   sentiment.
   Surveys show that voters opposed last month`s partial federal
   government shutdown and mostly blamed Republicans for the Washington
   stalemate over government spending, rather than Democratic lawmakers
   and President Barack Obama.
   But many voters are also angered over the widespread technological
   problems that have slowed the start of insurance sales that are part of
   Mr. Obama`s signature health care reforms enacted three years ago. Some
   polls show his favorability ratings have dipped to the lowest point of
   his five-year presidency, in the low 40 percent range.
   Political analyst Gilmour said the effect of the discontent over the
   government shutdown and the health care law may be offsetting for
   Republicans and Democrats.
   "Congressional approval is really low and people were pretty angry at
   congressional Republicans for driving the country to the government
   shutdown. So there was talk for awhile that maybe Republicans might
   lose control of the House of Representatives in 2014, but now the
   government shutdown is fading in peoples` memories and the difficulties
   with implementing the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare, are looming
   larger."
   In the highest profile mayoral election, in New York, surveys show that
   Democrat Bill de Blasio, now the ombudsman between voters and the city
   government, is poised for an overwhelming victory. He would succeed
   long-time Mayor Michael Bloomberg, prohibited by law from running for a
   fourth term.
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   [1]http://www.voanews.com/content/us-local-elections-set-for-tuesday/17
   83178.html

References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/us-local-elections-set-for-tuesday/1783178.html