Washington | A Republican victory in Virginia and a scare for the Democrats in New Jersey could prove a wake-up call to progressive politicians around the world, including Australia, after conservatives took on the centre-left in their own territory – education and social policy – and won.

Former Australian treasurer and ambassador Joe Hockey, now a consultant for Bondi Partners in Washington, said the Republican strategy was to risk taking on a policy area that was not theirs. The gamble paid off when Glenn Youngkin, the former boss of private equity firm Carlyle, swung moderate voters to beat Democrat Terry McAuliffe in the Washington-area state of Virginia.