Republican Governor-elect Bob McDonnell waves to the crowd at his victory party in Richmond, Va., Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2009. Unofficial results showed McDonnell, a conservative and former state attorney general, with about 60 percent of the vote over Democrat R. Creigh Deeds. He will be the state's first Republican governor in eight years. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)AP – Independents who swept Barack Obama to a historic 2008 victory broke big for Republicans on Tuesday as the GOP wrested political control from Democrats in Virginia and New Jersey, a troubling sign for the president and his party heading into an important midterm election year.