NEW YORK (AFP) – The Republican opposition hoped to draw blood Tuesday in three off-year elections seen as testing US President Barack Obama's popularity 12 months after his Democratic party swept to power.

Gubernatorial elections in New Jersey and Virginia and an intriguing battle for a New York congressional seat will not change the power balance in Washington, where the Democrats have a hefty majority.

But with midterm elections across the country next year, the three contests were being scrutinized for signs of Obama's resilience in the face of bruising debates on the economy, health care reform, and Afghanistan...