RICHMOND, Va. (AP) Republican Bob McDonnell wooed Virginia's independent voters Tuesday to win a landslide election for governor.

The win comes just a year after the state voted for Democrat Barack Obama for president, as Virginia bucked its four-decade long tradition of backing Republican candidates.

McDonnell, a conservative former state attorney general, had about 60 percent of the vote with most precincts reporting. The Republican takes back the governor's office after eight years of Democrat control.

Exit polls showed the election largely turned on independent voters, who preferred McDonnell by nearly a 2-1 ratio over Democrat R. Creigh Deeds. It was a shift from 2008, when independents in the state split about evenly between the parties.

McDonnell will succeed Gov. Timothy Kaine, chairman of the Democratic National Committee. Kaine directed $6 million in DNC money into Virginia for Deeds and other Democratic candidates.

Virginia state law bars a governor from running for a second term.

% | save this article / add to your favorites list