Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- The 2009 off-year elections yielded big victories for the pro-life movement with significant wins in both Virginia and New Jersey. The Virginia election saw pro-life advocates carry each of the three major offices and New jersey will have a pro-life governor for the first time in recent memory.

In Virginia, pro-life former Attorney general Bob McDonnell defeated pro-abortion candidate Creigh Deeds by a landslide 59-41 percent margin.

Poll consistently showed McDonnell leading Deeds even though Deeds attacked the pro-life advocate on abortion consistently throughout the campaign. The Virginia Society for Human Life PAC endorsed McDonnell, who would be a welcome change from recent pro-abortion governors, the group says.

Meanwhile, pro-life state senator Ken Cuccinelli won the race for state Attorney General while pro-life incumbent Lt. Governor Bill Bolling held on to his seat. Both candidates defeated abortion advocates and won the election with double digit margins.

In New Jersey, the New Jersey Right to Life and National Right to Life PACs, along with pro-life leaders like Rep. Chris Smith were behind Chris Christie as he took on pro-abortion incumbent Gov. Jon Corzine.

With 99 percent of the precincts totaled, Christe appears to have won with a 49 to 45 percent victory margin and just 6 percent backing pro-abortion independent candidate Christopher Daggett

Marie Tasy of New Jersey Right to Life told LifeNews.com before the election that "Corzine has repeatedly padded the pockets of abortion giant, Planned Parenthood with his own money, and has done so every year in the state budget with our tax dollars as well. Just this year, he allocated $7.5 million in the FY 2010 state budget to them."

"If Corzine gets re-elected, he said he will push through another clone and kill embryonic stem cell referendum even though voters resoundingly rejected such a measure two years ago," Tasy added. "There is only one choice for pro-life voters and that choice is Chris Christie."

The pro-life choice in New York is Conservative Party candidate Doug Hoffman and he trails pro-abortion Democrat Bill Owens 49-45 percent with 85 percent of the precincts reporting.

The the GOP candidate, Dede Scozzafava, was pro-abortion and because of the small number of elections and the national focus on Congress given the health care debate, LifeNews.com and pro-life advocates brought attention to Scozzafava's pro-abortion position and support for Hoffman.

That led Scozzafava to withdraw from the race over the weekend but she endorsed Owens and still picked up 6 percent of the vote because her name was still on the ballot -- which appears to have essentially given the election to Owens.

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