Lessons from a big win in Virginia

From The Washington Post:

Robert. F. McDonnell's crushing victory in Virginia's gubernatorial election Tuesday testified to his skills as a politician and to his disciplined, focused and generally positive, issues-based campaign. Mr. McDonnell, the Republican former state attorney general, rose above the toxic partisanship that suffuses electoral politics to conduct himself with civility, dignity and an even temper.

Mr. McDonnell read the electorate's independent and swing voters correctly by playing down divisive social issues, such as abortion, that had occupied much of his attention during his earlier years as a legislator, and by broadening his appeal to women, minorities and others not always effectively courted by the GOP. Sticking to a refrain of economic renewal amid hard times, he struck a chord with Virginia voters by promising to create jobs and keep taxes low while opposing some of the Obama administration's more expansionist policies and legislation.