Democrat Tomblin is new West Virginia governor despite ties to Obama

Earl Ray Tomblin won the West Virginia governor's race Tuesday night, in a Democratic victory that robbed Republicans of the chance to cast another 2011 election win as a referendum on President Barack Obama. Tomblin's win also means a Democrat will head the swing state during the 2012 presidential election.

Tomblin, the acting governor, defeated Republican businessman Bill Maloney, 50 percent to 47 percent with all precincts reporting, according to the Associated Press. The candidates were competing in a special election to complete the remainder of Democrat Joe Manchin's term. (Manchin resigned in November after being elected to the Senate.)

Republicans and outside groups tried to tie Tomblin to Obama. One ad paid for by the Republican Governors Association stoked fears said Tomblin was doing "absolutely nothing" to stop the president's health care law from going into effect.

Republicans used the same strategy, tying the Democratic nominee to Obama and his health care law, in the Sept. 13 special elections in New York's heavily Democratic 9th congressional district and in Nevada's 2nd congressional district. Republicans won those two elections and used the results to argue Obama's support hurt the Democratic nominees.

"Last night's result was a clear blow to national Republicans," the communications team of the Democratic Governors Association argued in a memo on Wednesday morning. Tomblin's win was proof that issues and experience matter in a local race, the memo said, and that efforts to tear down the president "have their limits."

Republicans note that Tomblin won by just three percentage points. They argue that the ties the party made between Tomblin and the president made the results closer than they otherwise would have been.

Obama lost West Virginia in 2008 to John McCain and has abysmal approval ratings in the state. A September Public Policy Polling survey put Obama's approval at 32 percent.

Since the 2008 election, there have been signals of hope for Democrats in Weest Virginia, including when voters elected Manchin to the Senate in 2010. But Manchin won by distancing himself from Obama.

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