In my first column after President Barack Obama's historic 2008 victory, I offered this advice to Democrats: "Enjoy your victories. Things will never look as good again as they do today."

Tuesday's election results proved me correct.

In 2008, Obama won Virginia with 53 percent of the vote -- the first win by a Democratic presidential candidate there since 1964. Obama's win, combined with Democrats winning two consecutive races for both the U.S. Senate races and for governor, made some see 2008 as the culmination of a realignment in Virginia from being reliably Republican to generally Democratic. But this week's results showed that was not the case.

On Tuesday, Republican Bob McDonnell won the Virginia governor's race by 18 percent, and Republicans swept all the statewide races.

Even more surprising was a Republican victory in New Jersey, where Chris Christie defeated incumbent Democrat Gov. Jon Corzine. New Jersey is a generally reliable Democrat state.

Both U.S. senators are Democrats, and Obama carried the state with 63 percent of the vote. But this year, New Jersey threw out an incumbent who had won two previous statewide elections.

In both states, the White House pulled out all the stops to help the Democrats. Obama stumped for his party's candidates in the days leading up to the vote, but the president's visits were not enough to save his party from defeat.

Some think Obama's late visits actually helped Republicans.

In both states, Republicans were helped by the news from Washington. In 2008, Obama ran for president as someone who would work across the aisle to bring the county together.

In 2009, Obama has governed as a liberal ideologue, pushing a far-left agenda and showing little interest in working with Republicans.

Voters in both New Jersey and Virginia were turned off by this approach and alienated by the president's extreme positions on government spending, climate change and health care.

Republican wins in the governor's races in Virginia and New Jersey in 1993 were precursors to the Republican sweep of the U.S. Congress and U.S. Senate in 1994.

Wins by Democrats in both states in 2005 preceded the Democrats gaining control of the U.S. Congress and U.S. Senate in 2006.

Will 2010 continue this pattern?

That remains to be seen, but what this week's election results do show is that the predictions of the Republican Party's demise were premature.

Republicans proved they can win elections -- even in places that recently voted strongly for Democrats.

Democrats are playing defense as we move into 2010 and Republican gains are likely across the country.

The Republican wins also are encouraging for the Republicans seeking the Blaine House.

After two terms, Democratic Gov. John Baldacci will leave office as he entered it -- with a lagging economy and budget shortfalls measured in hundreds of millions of dollars.

If Republicans focus their campaign in 2010 on key economic issues, while reminding voters of the Baldacci's failings, a Republican could return to the Blaine House for the first time in 16 years.

Democrats also will be saddled in 2010 with their support for gay marriage.

Though legislative Democrats and the governor endorsed gay marriage, on Tuesday, Maine voters turned out in large numbers to reject the law, 53 percent to 47 percent.

Some Democrats may be running for re-election to the Legislature from districts where their position on gay marriage is contrary to that of a majority of their constituents.

Democratic candidates for governor will face the question of whether they would sign a gay marriage bill despite Tuesday's vote.

While controversial social issues have often been a problem for Maine Republicans, this time Democratic candidates will need to walk carefully to avoid the social-issue landmines.

The major lesson that everyone should take from Tuesday's results is that it is always a mistake to try to replay the last election.

The political landscape that led to the large Democratic victories in 2006 and 2008 has shifted.

For the time being, the landscape has shifted toward Republicans. But the ground could easily shift again in the next year and those who think the Virginia and New Jersey campaigns have established a blueprint that can be replicated easily in 2010 are likely to be disappointed.

Dan Billings is a Republican activist and commentator. He practices law in Waterville. He can be reached at dib9@aol.com.