Democrats are bracing for a trio of losses in today's elections.

They are poised for defeat in Virginia's gubernatorial race, where polls show Republican Bob McDonnell has a double-digit lead over his Democratic opponent.

And they could lose in upstate New York, where the Republican Party's candidate in the 23rd Congressional District had to withdraw in the face of Tea Party passion for conservative Doug Hoffman, now leading over the Democrat.

Heck, one year after President Obama's election, the climate is so dicey for Democrats that they could even lose the governor's race in New Jersey, where incumbent Jon Corzine, a former Wall Street executive, has used his own money to outspend Republican opponent Chris Christie almost 3 to 1 and could still lose the election.

You could tell the White House was worried by its attempt to discourage any talk that the elections are a referendum on the president. Take a listen:

White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs: "The notion that this [is] somehow a referendum on President Obama is just not the case." As for 2009 as a sig