Washington (CNN) -- The fact that Chris Christie rolled to a second term in New Jersey and Terry McAuliffe won in Virginia wasn't a surprise. Public opinion polls have consistently shown both men in the lead. But the exit polls showed two very different paths to victory. Christie steamrolled hapless Democratic nominee Barbara Buono, 60% to 39% with 80% of the vote counted, crushing her in almost every key demographic. It was the biggest victory for a GOP gubernatorial candidate in New Jersey since Tom Kean was running in the 1980s. What Christie's victory means for 2016 McAuliffe's victory was much narrower than most of the polls indicated, 48% to 46% with 98% of the vote in. He didn't win every key group -- self-described independents broke for Republican nominee Ken Cuccinelli -- but he successfully stoked fears about Cuccinelli's strident brand of conservatism in an increasingly moderate battleground state.
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Christie crushed his Democratic opponent in almost every demographic category
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McAuliffe stoked fears about his Republican opponent's strident conservatism
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Bad news for Christie: Polls show he would lose presidential matchup against Hillary Clinton
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In Virginia, Cuccinelli was hurt by the same tea party alliance that won him the nomination
@placeholder did very well for a Republican with core Democratic constituencies.
Christie did very well for a @placeholder with core Democratic constituencies.