Democrat Ralph Northam defeated Republican Ed Gillespie for governor of Virginia by 53.9 to 45 at this writing. Democrat Phil Murphy topped Republican Kim Guadagno in New Jersey by 56.4 to 41.8, and with about 60 percent of the vote, Democrat Bill de Blasio easily held off Republican Nicole Malliotakis to remain mayor of New York City.

Not much surprise here, since Hillary Clinton carried Virginia and New Jersey last year. What it all meant going forward will be hotly debated, but the Virginia race provides some clues.

Since November 8, 2016, the old-line establishment media has been working three shifts to discredit the president’s election and smear him as a racist, white supremacist collaborator with hostile foreign powers. Voters would find little difference in the first competitive statewide contest since Trump took office.

CNN delicately headlined one piece “Tuesday will show if racist fear-mongering can win elections,” which doubled as a caption for a photo of Republican Ed Gillespie and vice president Mike Pence. Candidates can ride coattails but for CNN it was about how big a “shadow” Trump might cast.

For CNN, “Democrats are nervous that Gillespie may inspire a turnout surge among Trump’s core constituency of older, blue-collar and non-urban whites with his racially provocative campaign — which has included a full-throated endorsement of preserving Confederate monuments and unrelenting attacks on ‘sanctuary cities’ and the Central American gang MS-13.”