McDonnell reflects on Brown's win in Massachusetts

Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell said he watched "every bit" of the election returns last night as fellow Republican Scott Brown defeated Democrat Martha Coakley in an election to fill a U.S. senate seat in Massachusetts.

"I'm certainly proud of our 18-point victory here in Virginia but to have a seven-point win in deep blue Massachusetts is an astounding thing,'' he told reporters today.

McDonnell said Brown campaigned on a pair of simple principles: "This is the people's seat. It doesn't belong to anyone. I want to be your servant, which I feel Massachusetts residents felt was a little bit of a contrast to the attitude they see in Washington and secondly, he feels this massive takeover of the healthcare system by the federal government was a bad idea and was not a good idea for the people of Massachusetts."

"I think those two simple concepts earned him that vote -- the first senator from the Republican Party in nearly 40 years. I think it's a great win and yet one more signal that some of the things that the United States Congress is doing is not being well received by the people from Virginia to Massachusetts.".

McDonnell said former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, who campaigned with McDonnell last year called to chat about the election yesterday. "He was thrilled,'' he said.

"It obviously and likely will have an impact on this healthcare vote...but it certainly bodes well for Republicans to have a shot at taking back the Congress in 2010."