Why Terry McAuliffe barely won  —  How the heck did that happen?  —  Most public polls leading up to Election Day had Terry McAuliffe coasting to victory, some by double digits, in the Virginia governor's race.  Instead he squeaked by, beating Republican Ken Cuccinelli by less than 3 percentage points.

Sources: Runyan won't seek re-election in 2014  —  Jon Runyan, the former pro football player turned congressman, will not seek a third term in the House of Representatives next year, according to multiple sources familiar with the congressman's plans.  —  The sources said the Mount Laurel …

Not Republicans, who opposed it openly and honorably.  —  One of the excuses for the technical incompetence of ObamaCare is that the president and his team were the victims of “sabotage” by congressional Republicans.  Todd Purdum, a leftist longtime New York Times reporter …

51ST STATE QUESTION ANSWERED “YES” IN 6 OF 11 COUNTIES CONTEMPLATING SECESSION  —  Weld County Commissioner Sean Conway, center, with other elected officials address a group of supporters of the 51st State Initiative during an election result watch party at the Historic Fort Lupton Fort, November 5, 2013.

De Blasio Is Elected New York City Mayor in Landslide  —  Bill de Blasio, who transformed himself from a little-known occupant of an obscure office into the fiery voice of New York's disillusionment with a new gilded age, was elected the city's 109th mayor on Tuesday.

Chris Christie Coasts to 2nd Term as Governor of New Jersey  —  Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey won re-election by a crushing margin on Tuesday, a victory that vaulted him to the front ranks of Republican presidential contenders and made him his party's foremost proponent of pragmatism over ideology.

Democrats' Anxiety Grows Over Obamacare Problems  —  When a loyal leader on your own team says there is a “crisis of confidence” surrounding your signature initiative, you've got trouble.  —  That's the phrase Democratic Sen. Barbara A. Mikulski of Maryland used repeatedly Tuesday morning …

Establishment beats tea party in Alabama runoff  —  Bradley Byrne, a former state senator, defeated businessman Dean Young in the GOP primary runoff for Alabama's 1st district, CNN projects.  —  Follow @politicalticker Follow @danmericaCNN Follow @KevinBohnCNN

Pictured with the man who shot him dead moments later: RAF policeman grins alongside rogue Afghan policeman who opened fire on him and comrade  —  An unwitting British soldier who posed for a photograph with a rogue Afghan policeman was shot dead by him seconds later.

Kerry pledges $75M more for Palestinians  —  Secretary of State John Kerry on Wednesday pledged another $75 million to help Palestinians build roads and schools as an incentive to pursue peace talks with Israel.  —  Kerry announced the aid during a stop in the West Bank city of Bethlehem.

Jennifer Johnson beats husband in Waterville warden race  —  Husband versus wife battle for Ward 1 seat drew statewide attention and, the competitors hope, attention to the election process  —  WATERVILLE — Jennifer Johnson won the Ward 1 warden position over her competitor and spouse, David Johnson, on Tuesday night 127-76.

Lost Art of Loyalty  —  There is a futuristic cop show starting soon on Fox called “Almost Human,” produced by J.J. Abrams.  —  It's set in the year 2048, and it features an attractive black robot who is highly evolved, logic-based and designed to be as human as possible …

Virginia Gun Shop Handed Out Free AR-15 Magazines To Voters  —  In an attempt to get out the vote on Election Day, Quantico Tactical in Woodbridge, VA handed out free 30-round AR-15 magazines to anyone who showed a Virginia voter ID or active duty military ID.

Biden phones winner of memorable Coralville election  —  IOWA CITY, IA.  — In a contest that attracted the attention of Vice President Joe Biden and spending by the national conservative group Americans for Prosperity, Coralville's three incumbent candidates are staying for another term.

In Shake-up, Overseer of Flawed Health Website Is Retiring  —  WASHINGTON — The chief information officer at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, whose office supervised creation of the troubled federal website for health insurance, is retiring, the Obama administration said Wednesday.

Washington Times ends Sen. Rand Paul column amid plagiarism allegations  —  U.S. Sen. Rand Paul acknowledged Tuesday he had failed to properly source material in published writings, including a column in The Washington Times, after a string of embarrassing plagiarism accusations surfaced in recent days.

Message to Republicans: Moderates win  —  While off-year elections suffer from a surfeit of interpretation, it's hard not to see the victories of Christie and McAuliffe as sending a similar message: Republicans must be moderate to win.  —  Mr. McAuliffe was a cipher of a candidate who was saved …