Americans in six states go to the polls Nov. 3, 2009 in elections with stakes as varied as Barack Obama’s prestige, the future of the Republican Party and gay marriage, The Irish Times reads.

According to the source, contests in Virginia and New Jersey are interpreted as “barometers of support for Mr Obama and harbingers of next year’s mid-term elections.”

Local Republican Party support Ms Scozzafava backing abortion rights, gay marriage and the teachers’ union – entire abomination to conservative Republicans. Doug Hoffman is a candidate from the New York Conservative Party.

Currently, the Democrats predict a civil war between conservative and moderate Republicans.

“Either way, Mr Obama wins in upstate New York. If the Democrat wins, it’s another vote for healthcare reform. If the conservative candidate wins, it will divide Mr Obama’s adversaries by encouraging other right-wingers to challenge sitting Republicans in 2010.

Paradoxically, Bob McDonnell, the Republican candidate who looks certain to win the governor’s office in Virginia, is an anti-abortion religious conservative who has won over independent voters by focusing on taxes, jobs and the economy.

Five states have already reversed gay marriage rights in referendums. If Question 1 is defeated, Maine will become the first US state to approve gay marriage by popular vote.

And in a mayoral election in New York City the incumbent, Michael Bloomberg, looks set to be re-elected, despite misgivings about his campaign spending and his manipulation of the law on term limits. The billionaire businessman has broken all US records by spending more than $250 million of his own money on three mayoral campaigns,” The Irish Times says.