Article snippet: Pushback against President Donald Trump helped lift Democrats to governorships in the two highest-profile U.S. elections since the 2016 presidential contest. Phil Murphy, the former U.S. ambassador to Germany, is projected to win New Jersey's gubernatorial election, based on ABC News' analysis of the exit poll. Sweeping backlash to the deeply unpopular Chris Christie, a Republican, became a focal point of the campaign that pitted Murphy against the state's Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno. Based on ABC News' analysis of the vote, Lt. Gov. Ralph Northam, will win the Virginia governor's race. In Virginia, voters by a 2-1 margin said they were casting their ballot to show opposition to Trump rather than support for him. In New Jersey the margin was 3-1. And Trump’s weak approval rating among voters in Virginia, 40 percent, was weaker still in New Jersey, a dismal 34 percent. Relatedly, a surge in turnout by politically liberal voters boosted Virginia Lt. Gov. Ralph Northam, as did a broad advantage on health care, which voters by a wide margin identified as the top issue in the vote. Trump’s approval rating in Virginia, notably, was 14 points weaker than that of the incumbent Democratic governor, Republican Party. The gap in the parties’ popularity was even more striking in New Jersey. And again turnout among liberals peaked, at its highest in New Jersey gubernatorial races since 1993. So did turnout among Democrats, who accounted for 44 percent of voters, vs. Repub... Link to the full article to read more