toledoblade.com --

Gov. Ted Strickland should pay close attention to Tuesday's national election results because, to paraphrase a familiar saying, there but for the grace of the election calendar goes he.

If Governor Strickland had been facing off against likely Republican candidate John Kasich now instead of in 12 months, he might very well have fallen victim to the national anti-incumbent trend that played out in the election this week.

In heavily Democratic New Jersey, incumbent Gov. Jon Corzine was rejected by voters in favor of Republican Chris Christie. Outspent by $12 million, Mr. Christie was able to tap into voter anger over the state's financial woes. As one voter told the Associated Press: "I'm tired of the Democrats. I voted for Chris Christie because he's not Jon Corzine."

In Virginia, Bob McDonnell handily defeated Democrat R. Creigh Deeds, largely on the backs of independent voters who went for the Republican by a 2-1 margin. The main issues were jobs and the economy. Republicans also won the Virginia races for lieutenant governor and attorney general and expanded their majority in the Virginia House of Delegates.

Meanwhile, Democrat upstart William Thompson, Jr., came within five percentage points of beating billionaire independent Michael Bloomberg, who spent about $100 million of his own money on his quest for a third term as mayor of New York City. Mr. Thompson hammered his opponent repeatedly for having broken his word to voters, nearly pulling off what would have been the biggest upset in election politics since Harry Truman came back to beat Thomas Dewey for president in 1948.

In exit polls, many New Yorkers said they were sending Mayor Bloomberg a message.

Mr. Strickland should pay close attention to that message as well. The governor must be seen to be doing more to breath life into the state economy. As the vote on Issue 3 made clear, Ohioans are desperate for jobs. Elected officials who do not follow through on their promise to reduce the jobless rate can expect to be unemployed themselves.

At the same time, people don't want officials who appear to waffle or change their minds because it becomes politically expedient to do so. In Toledo and across the country, voters are rejecting the old politics and searching for honest public servants.

If Mr. Strickland would be governor for another term, he should read the tea leaves from this vote carefully. His political fortune may hang on how he responds to this wake-up call.