HOFFMAN CLOSING ON OWENS  —  Democrat ahead of Conservative by 2,512 votes  —  Democrat Bill Owens is leading in the 23rd Congressional District race.  —  The Plattsburgh attorney has 50,884 votes compared to Conservative Doug Hoffman, a Lake Placid CPA, with 47,166 votes.

The GOP elite's $1 million object lesson — and the message of NY-23  —  Conservatives owe NY-23 candidate Doug Hoffman immeasurable gratitude.  He overcame impossible odds (single digits just a month ago) to come within two points of defeating Democrat Bill Owens.  Hoffman had zero name recognition.

What Happened and Why?  —  The outcome of all seven contests that we were tracking tonight appears settled, or very nearly so:  —  Virginia Governor: Republican Bob McDonnell wins by 17 points, toward the upper end of the range predicted by the pollsters, although not to anybody's great surprise.

The Obama magic has faded  —  All politics is local, they say, and Tuesday's off-off-year elections certainly had their local angles.  Jon Corzine has been a terrible governor even by the undemanding standards of terribly governed New Jersey.  Creigh Deeds, though he looked …

Maine Voters Repeal Law Allowing Gay Marriage  —  In a stinging setback for the national gay-rights movement, Maine voters narrowly decided to repeal the state's new law allowing same-sex marriage.  —  With 87 percent of precincts reporting early this morning, 53 percent of voters had approved the repeal …

G.O.P. Wins Two Key Governors' Races; Bloomberg Prevails in a Close Contest  —  Republicans swept contests for governor in New Jersey and Virginia on Tuesday as voters went to the polls filled with economic uncertainty, dealing President Obama a setback and building momentum …

Gubernatorial contests serve as warning to Democrats  —  Off-year elections can be notoriously unreliable as predictors of the future, but as a window on how the political landscape may have changed in the year since President Obama won the White House, Tuesday's Republican victories in Virginia …

NY-23: Watertown Mayor: 'It's Over'  —  SARANAC LAKE, N.Y. - I caught Watertown, N.Y., Mayor Jeff Graham, who endorsed NY-23 Conservative Party candidate Doug Hoffman this weekend, looking very glum at Hoffman's election party.  I asked him what happened in Jefferson County, where Watertown is located …

Conservative Loses Upstate House Race in Blow to Right  —  SARANAC LAKE, N.Y. — Democrats won a special election in New York State's northernmost Congressional district Tuesday, a setback for national conservatives who heavily promoted a third candidate in what became an intense debate over the direction of the Republican Party.

Lessons from Election Night  —  Republicans had their best night in five years yesterday, winning two governorships in states that went big for Barack Obama last year.  They came closer than some would have guessed in holding a California district while running a no-name against the state's Lieutenant Governor.

THE IMPACT ON HEALTH CARE.... To hear a certain cable news network put it, a couple of gubernatorial wins for Republican candidates undermines the chances of health care reform.  —  As it turns out, the Republican spin is largely backwards.  Neither McDonnell nor Christie will have votes on health care reform in Congress.