The Virginia elections

Voters delivered their first forceful rebuke of President Trump and his party on Tuesday night, with Democrats exploiting Mr. Trump’s deep unpopularity to capture the governorships in Virginia and New Jersey and make significant inroads into suburban communities that once favored the Republican Party.

The Democratic Party’s crowning success of the night came in Virginia, where Lt. Gov. Ralph S. Northam, an understated physician and Army veteran, won a commanding victory for governor, overcoming a racially charged campaign by his Republican opponent and cementing Virginia’s transformation into a reliably Democratic state largely immune to Trump-style appeals.

[...]

In New Jersey, Philip D. Murphy, a former Goldman Sachs executive, won the governorship, according to The Associated Press, by a vast margin that brought an unceremonious end to Gov. Chris Christie’s tumultuous tenure.

  NYT

It was pretty obvious that Chris Christie was on his way out. I'm not as encouraged by this vote as those in Virginia because, 1) voting out Christie was not a reproach of Donald Trump - after all, Trump had dumped him a long time ago; and 2) it's never good to have another Goldman Sachs executive in a powerful political position.  (Sorry - I wasn't paying attention.  Christie wasn't actually in the race, so this argument doesn't work at all.)

Representative Scott Taylor, a Republican from Virginia Beach, said he considered the Democratic sweep in Virginia a repudiation of the White House.

[...]

Channeling the shock of Republicans across the state, Mr. Taylor voiced disbelief at the party’s rout down ballot. “I know folks that lost tonight who were going against candidates I’d never even heard of,” he said.

So maybe it's got a little bit to do with the Republican Party itself?

Mr. Gillespie made no mention of Mr. Trump in his concession speech, and alluded only in passing to the explosive themes he wielded as a candidate. Ticking off issues he campaigned on, Mr. Gillespie noted his supporters were worried about “safety for themselves and their families and their businesses.”

Because that's what the Republican Party does to its supporters in order to take power: makes them fearful.

Gillespie [...] unleashed a multimillion-dollar onslaught linking his rival to a gang with Central American ties and a convicted pedophile who had his rights restored, while also assailing Mr. Northam for wanting to remove Virginia’s Confederate statues.

Well, if that didn't do it, nothing would.

The strategy appeared to help Mr. Gillespie narrow the gap in the wake of the Charlottesville protests this summer, but it was not enough to overcome the anti-Trump energy in an increasingly diverse state that has not elected a Republican to statewide office since 2009.

And two of them women of color.

Looks like people are finally being shaken from their apathy.  Thanks, Trump.