The governors' races in Virginia and New Jersey, which fall this year, may be mini-referendums on Barack Obama. Both states voted for him last November. But will they stay in the Democratic camp?rnThe Virginia contest, just across the Potomac river from Washington, DC, may be particularly telling. Unlike the New Jersey governorship, where Democrat Jon Cor-zine, an unpopular former titan on Wall Street, is seeking a second term, the Virginia office is open. That is because Virginia, alone among the states, bans governors from running for consecutive terms.rnTimothy Kaine, an early supporter of Mr Obama's, will be leaving Richmond to become the national chairman of the Democratic Party. Three men are jostling for the Democratic nomination to replace him. The primary is on June 9th.
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