Southern Democrats who watched the trouncing of their party's gubernatorial nominee in Virginia this week are starting to worry that a rising anti-Democratic tide in the South may reverse their hard-fought gains from the last two national elections.

If the Virginia race signals a growing movement against the party's agenda, Democrats know it will be particularly fierce in the Southeast next year. Even the perception of such a trend is enough to seriously damage the party's ability to recruit top candidates in the region. On Capitol Hill, it could convince moderates to distance themselves from the party on key votes, such as health care.

"Obviously you pay attention to it, you'd be a fool not to," said Rep. Bob Etheridge, a North Carolina Democrat who said he will make a long-awaited decision by this weekend on whether to challenge Republican Sen. Richard Burr.

Democrats made significant inroads in 2006 and 2008, winning House seats even in states like Mississippi and Alabama that had long been in