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Welcome to DemocracyNow!, DemocracyNow.org. The warrent peace report. I am Amy Goodman.
Election Day was held Tuesday, deciding state and local races across the country. In Virginia,
former Democratic National Committee Chair Terry McAuliffe was elected governor, defeating
tea party-backed Ken Cuccinelli, the state's attorney general. McAulliffe's victory was
seen as a rebuke of the tea party-backed government shutdown that impacted many of the state's
workers. In New Jersey, Republican Gov. Chris Christie easily won re-election, paving the
way for a possible presidential run in 2016.In New York City, Bill de Blasio won an overwhelming
victory to become the city's first Democratic mayor in two decades.The challenges we face
have been decades in the making, and the problems we set out to address will not be solved overnight.
But make no mistake, the people of this city have chosen a progressive path.
And tonight we set forth on it together as one city
Election Day also saw votes on a number of contested
ballot measures. In Washington state, voters rejected an initiative that would have required
the labeling of genetically modified foods. Major corporations and other opponents of
GMO labeling spent more than $20 million to defeat the measure.Backers of a measure to
impose a $15-an-hour minimum wage at Seattle's international airport and surrounding hotels
have declared victory. New Jersey voters approved a constitutional amendment to raise the minimum
wage by $1, to $8.25 an hour, and add automatic cost-of-living increases each year.In Maine,
the city of Portland became the first on the East Coast to legalize recreational marijuana.
In Colorado, voters have approved a 25 percent sales tax on recreational marijuana after
voting in favor of legalization a year ago.Three out of four Colorado cities voted to ban the
gas drilling process of hydraulic fracturing, known as fracking. A similar ban failed in
two out of the three cities where it was on the ballot in Ohio.
Illinois is poised to become
the 15th state to legalize same-sex marriage. The Illinois State Senate gave final passage
to the measure Tuesday night hours after narrow approval in the State House. Illinois Gov.
Pat Quinn has vowed to sign the measure into law.