Voters, including some who didn’t back him, credited Gov. Robert F. McDonnell with working hard and engineering deep budget cuts from a generally fractious General Assembly with relatively little heartache. The result of those efforts was a narrow surplus by the end of the fiscal year, achieved through bipartisan action and without the tax increase that Gov. Timothy M. Kaine proposed before leaving office.

“This state hasn’t gone backwards,” said Steven Herborn, 55, of Chesapeake. He has supported candidates in both parties over the years but wants Republicans to take over Congress next week.

“Nothing bad has happened,” he said. “The schools are no worse. The roads? We’ve always had a problem with the roads in Virginia.”…

McDonnell is “making an effort,” said Charlottesville retiree Ross Crebbs, who voted for the governor’s opponent, state Sen. R. Creigh Deeds (D). “That’s what he was elected to do. He’s visible. He’s trying. And, agree or disagree with him, we can see it.”