Josh and Kenny have already noted the passage of Prop 1 in Maine and Bloomberg’s narrow victory earlier this week, but there were some other noteworthy races going on. Let’s see how they shook out.

New Jersey Gubernatorial: The above video is, of course, the loathsome Chris Christie declaring victory over the also pretty loathsome Democratic incumbent, John Corzine. The polls had been neck and neck therefor a while, but Christie eked out a victory in the end, demonstrating that all the money and fat jokes in the world can’t help an unpopular incumbent during a poor economy. This must have been a disappointment for the White House, which put a lot behind the campaign.

Virginia Gubernatorial: Another Republican victory here, and by a significantly larger margin. But the conventional wisdom is that Democratic candidate R. Creigh Deeds never had a prayer in the first place (VA’s not a blue stronghold yet), and the grassroots weren’t terribly enthused about him, so no biggie.

NY-23 Congressional: After some of the prominent figures in the GOP forced out their own candidate, their favored conservative wünderkind, third-party candidate Doug Hoffman, um, lost. And so the tea partiers, by kicking the Republican out of the race, handed over yet another congressional seat to a Democrat.

But don’t take that to mean this is a loss for the Sarah Palin crowd; rather, it’s a victory for them, and a loss for the dwindling faction of sane conservatives. Even though Hoffman lost in the end, the rise of his candidacy demonstrates the ability of the far right to get their way in internal GOP politics. Too bad the far right has no idea how to build an electoral base beyond the distant fringes.

Other news: The Democrats held onto a Congressional seat in CA, and Maine, while banning gay marriage, also found time to loosen the qualifications for medical marijuana.

2010: Republicans did well in the gubernatorial races this year, but I’d say that the overall results don’t augur well for their chances at significant gains in Congress next year. If the Glenn Beckheads get to pick the roster next year, and mount aggressive third-party challenges or primaries against Republicans in districts where only perceived centrism could win, then they’re screwed.