WASHINGTON (AFP) - The White House on Wednesday downplayed Democratic defeats in two key state elections, saying the polls were fought on local issues unrelated to President Barack Obama.

Losses to the Republicans in governor races in New Jersey and Virginia were disappointing, White House spokesman Robert Gibbs admitted, but were not a reflection of the level of support for Obama, elected exactly a year ago.

"The data from the gubernatorial races demonstrates that voters went to the polls in those two contests and talked about, and worked through very local issues that didn't involve the president," he said.

"If you look at the exit polling, which is pretty clear on this, people went to the polls and voted on local issues not to even register support for or opposition to the president."

Obama's favored candidates lost battles for the governorships of New Jersey and Virginia in Tuesday's elections, but for the first time in more than a century won a congressional seat in a usually Republican-held district of upstate New York.

Republicans have been bouyed by the victories of Chris Christie in New Jersey and Virginia's Bob McDonnell, as the party struggles to regroup after Obama's historic White House victory on November 4 last year.

The president, who had campaigned for the two Democratic gubernatorial candidates, was "disappointed that his friend John Corzine didn't win" in New Jersey, a heavily Democratic state, Gibbs acknowleged.

"I think voters are concerned about the economy, I don't think the president needed an election or an exit poll to come to that conclusion," he said.

"If the president had been asked yesterday by an exit poller yesterday, are you concerned about the economy, he would have answered yes."

Exit polls conducted by television networks backed the White House argument, with 55 percent of Virginia voters and 60 percent of New Jersey voters saying Obama did not factor into their decision.

Gibbs said Obama had got updates from the elections, but did not watch the returns.