Republicans began trying on Wednesday morning to use their victories in gubernatorial contests in New Jersey and Virginia to begin building momentum, in a time of economic concern, to mount a strong challenge to President Obama’s party in next year’s mid-term Congressional elections.

Democrats, meanwhile, took heart from a closely watched Congressional race in upstate New York, where a Democrat who received a late push from the White House exploited division among Republicans to defeat a conservative candidate who had attracted national backers ranging from Rush Limbaugh to former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin.

But local issues dominated in both gubernatorial races, exit polls indicated, and the results seemed to carry cautions for both parties.

In New Jersey, a former federal prosecutor, Christopher J Christie, became the first Republican to win statewide in 12 years by vowing to attack the state’s fiscal problems with the same aggressiveness he used to lock up corrupt politicians.

He overcame a huge Democratic voter advantage and a relentless barrage of negative commercials to defeat Jon S Corzine, an unpopular incumbent who outspent him by more than two to one and drew heavily on political help from the White House, including three visits to the state from Obama.

“We are in a crisis; the times are extraordinarily difficult, but I stand here tonight full of hope for the future,” said Christie, 47, who will become New Jersey’s 55th Governor.

Corzine, 62, who entered politics a decade ago after a career at Goldman Sachs, conceded at 10.55 pm. “It has been quite a journey,” he said. “There’s a bright future ahead for New Jersey if we stay focused on people’s lives... I’m going to do that for the rest of my life.”

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