GOP cheered, White House dismissive of election results

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The White House this morning minimized the meaning of Republicans’ off-year election victories Tuesday night, saying that the results did not reflect on President Obama.

White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said that the election of Republicans to the governorships in Virginia and New Jersey was based on “very local issues that didn’t involve the president.”

Gibbs said voters were concerned about the economy. “I don’t think the president needed an election or an exit poll to come to that conclusion,” he said.

Republicans won the governor seats, but Democrats, who spent much of election day distancing themselves from the outcomes, can claim a victory in an upstate New York congressional election. With Obama’s help, a conservative Democrat was from a conservative district that rejected an even more conservative candidate.

Republicans, of course, were cheered this morning but cautious.

“We’re not crowing, we’re just smiling,” Republican Party Chairman Michael Steele said in one of his many nationally broadcast interviews this morning. “I think it’s a bellwether for the party. ... You look at where we were nine months ago.”

The major analytical thread through the morning was that the victories were good for the GOP, but Democrats argued the results meant little for Obama’s popularity or his ability to get legislation passed.

For a deeper look, click here.
And for questions about Obama’s popularity, click here.

-- Michael Muskal

Follow on Twitter @LATimesmuskal