President Obama attended two rallies on Sunday in support of New Jersey Governor Jon Corzine's bid for re-election. After a speech in which the president said Mr. Corzine was key to Mr. Obama's own agenda, the Governor took the stage to a Stevie Wonder tune (a standard during the Obama campaign) and claimed a victory on Tuesday would help him support the White House, "Today I am standing with President Obama. That tells you everything you need to know." (source)

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What it tells you is that everyone, including Mr. Corzine, knows that it is the Obama presidency being voted for or against on Tuesday. A victory by Republican Chris Christie could be a preview of the 2010 midterm elections in which thirty-seven states will hold gubernatorial elections, more than one third of the Senate will be up for grabs and every seat in the House must be filled.

And it's not just New Jersey that, according to the latest polls, will be voting against the Obama agenda. The Governor's race in Virginia and the special election to represent New York's District 23 should also offer a vision of the political future.

According to Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele, "These are bellwether races - not just as a referendum on this administration, but on our party as well. This administration is so out of step with the heartbeat of this country, and that's going to be apparent on Tuesday." (source)

A Corzine defeat would be especially painful for Team Obama. The president has invested significant political capital, traveling to appear at 5 Corzine campaign events when he certainly had plenty of other things to do in Washington. If Mr. Corzine loses, the lesson won't be lost on many Congressional Democrats who want to be re-elected next year. They might not be so quick to vote the way the president wants them to if it appears that the president can't convince the American people to vote for them.