Nov. 5--WASHINGTON -- The second "change" election in a row could add fresh momentum to a heavyweight rematch in Maryland next year between Democratic Gov. Martin O'Malley and his Republican predecessor, Robert L. Ehrlich Jr.

Republicans were encouraged by Tuesday's defeat of an incumbent Democratic governor in New Jersey and the election of Virginia's first Republican governor in more than a decade. Voters anxious over a slumping economy told exit pollsters they favored candidates who represented change, a dynamic that favored Barack Obama in 2008.

Ehrlich said that off-year contests can be "predictors" of future contests. He called the victory of Republican Chris Christie, who unseated Democratic Gov. Jon Corzine in New Jersey, a "signpost" on his own path to a possible 2010 campaign.

"It's not dispositive. It's relevant," Ehrlich said in an Election Day interview. As he considers whether to run again, the former governor has been on what he termed a "discussion tour" of the state, including stops in the Baltimore area and the Washington suburbs.

A new statewide poll shows O'Malley leading Ehrlich by 47 percent to 40 percent in a test matchup. The governor's seven-point edge in the survey, by the nonpartisan Clarus Research Group of Washington, is identical to his victory margin in 2006. The poll's margin of error is 3.9 percentage points.

O'Malley, vice chairman of the Democratic Governors Association, had warned going into this week's election that "it couldn't be a tougher time in our economy for these races to be happening than right now."

Incumbents suffer when the economy sours and unemployment is high. That is particularly true for governors, who often get blamed for an economic climate that is largely beyond their control.

O'Malley told reporters in Annapolis that "overall, people are very apprehensive, rightly so, about the economy. And they want their government to work harder to get us out of this recession."

He pointed to Democratic victories in local races, including the Annapolis mayoral contest, as a sign that the party remains strong in Maryland. He also noted that the economy is expected to be far better next year, though some economists predict that jobless rates will remain high through most of 2010.

O'Malley said that "every race is different" when asked what Tuesday's results might mean for his own re-election.

"Maryland is not New Jersey," O'Malley added.

Ehrlich, however, highlighted similarities: a pair of Eastern states with strong labor contingents and big Democratic voter bases that swung solidly behind Obama in 2008.