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WHAT HAPPENS IN TRENTON DIRECTLY IMPACTS YOU, YOUR CHILDREN AND YOUR COMMUNITY...Today - Tuesday November 3 - is the election day that will determine who will be your Governor for the next four years and who will represent you in your legislative district in the New Jersey Assembly for the next two years...EVERY VOTE WILL COUNT, MAKE SURE YOU EXERCISE YOUR RIGHT TO VOTE & CAST YOUR BALLOT TODAY! Click on More for TV and Radio election night coverage, related articles on the gubernatorial election...
From HOTLINE ON CALL:
November 2, 2009 2:29 PM
ELECTION NIGHT TV PLANS
Several nets have released plans for their Election Night coverage.
-CNN: Wolf Blitzer will provide live cut-ins from DC as soon as polls begin to close. CNN reporters and pundits will appear both in-studio and from the battlegrounds to discuss results, as well as the one-year anniversary of Pres. Obama's election.
-FBN: will provide live coverage beginningat 8pmET with Neil Cavuto anchoring. He will be joined by ex-NJ Gov Christie Todd Whitman (R), ex-NJ Gov. James Florio (D), Rep. Scott Garrett (R-NJ), ex-Gov./ex-Sen. George Allen (R-VA) and PA Gov. Ed Rendell (D) and others.
-FNC: Shepard Smith and Bret Baier will lead coverage beginning at 6pmET and will include reports on the ground and in Washington. They will be joined by FNC's Brit Hume, Dem consultant/FNC commentator Bob Beckel, NPR's Juan Williams, Ex-WH dep. CoS Karl Rove, Weekly Standard's Bill Kristol, Dem strategist Joe Trippi, UVA's Larry Sabato and U.S. News & World Report senior writer/"Almanac of American Politics" principal co-author Michael Barone. At 8pmET, FNC will have regularly scheduled broadcasts with special updates from Smith and Baier. From 10 to 11pmET, Greta Van Susteren will be joined by Smith and Baier for a special edition of "On the Record" (Hotline sources, 11/2).
-MSNBC: NBC's Chuck Todd anchors from Washington at 11amET and 2pmET and MSNBC's Ed Schultz anchors at 4pmET. Additionally, in the evening MSNBC will cover the races within the regular lineup and air an additional special live "Countdown" at 10pmET and "Rachel Maddow Show" at 11pmET with analysis of the election results.
-ABC's "Nightline" will report on the results at 11:35pmET.
-NJN, NJ Public TV and Radio, will stream live video with blanket coverage at 8pmET, and you can find more information here.
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By The Associated Press
November 01, 2009, 7:18AM
TRENTON -- Another new poll finds Gov. Jon Corzine and Republican challenger Chris Christie running nearly even in the New Jersey governor's race.
The Monmouth University/Gannett New Jersey Poll released today finds Christie backed by 43 percent of likely voters, while the incumbent Democrat is supported by 42 percent.
In the last Monmouth/Gannett poll issued two weeks ago, they were tied at 39 percent.
Independent Chris Daggett was backed by 8 percent of likely voters in the latest poll, down from 14 percent.
"This election will be defined by turnout like few others before it," poll director Patrick Murray said.
The telephone poll of 1,041 likely voters was taken Oct. 28-20 and has a sampling error margin of plus or minus 3 percentage points.
Asbury Park Press/Gannett: Governor's race heats up with support evenly split: Corzine, Christie fault each other
Obama back to boost gov as Daggett slips in polls
By JASON METHOD STAFF WRITER, Sunday Novermber 1 2009
Gov. Corzine. Chris Christie. Chris Daggett.
Have you made up your mind? Are you sure?
The three major candidates crisscrossed the state last week as Democrats prepared for the arrival of President Barack Obama today for their last push to re-elect Jon S. Corzine. The candidates tried to inspire supporters and make their final case to voters. Only some 4 percent or 5 percent say they have not yet decided for whom to vote, but as many as one in five told a Quinnipiac Poll they could change their minds.
The campaign has turned into a neck-and-neck two-horse race as polls that showed Corzine and Christie virtually tied, and Daggett's support stalled or falling into the single digits.
"This will come down to a choice vs. a referendum," Rider University political scientist Ben Dworkin said. "Chris Christie wants this to be a referendum . . . on Jon Corzine. Assuming voters don't like Corzine, and the polls say that, Christie will win.
"Jon Corzine wants this to be a choice between him and Christie, and that's why he's spent millions of dollars on (ads against) Christie, so voters will think he's even worse," Dworkin added.
The campaign took a detour on Thursday when The New York Times reported Corzine was considering a scaled-down version of his 2007 plan to lease the New Jersey Turnpike and Parkway, a plan that had sparked open revolt among voters then.
Republicans seized the comments as evidence of Corzine's spend-happy plans after the election. Corzine later said he was looking to lease signs and promote development around the toll roads. He told reporters on Friday he would not revisit his previous plan.
"No toll increases, no leasing," Corzine said, according to a transcript provided by his office. "Off the table. Not gonna happen."
Jobs and economic issues were at the forefront of voters' minds last week as a projected $8 billion state budget deficit for next year cast a dark cloud over the debate.
Daggett toured the Seabrook retirement community in Tinton Falls on Monday and spent a half-hour talking to seniors enjoying desert and coffee in the dinning area. At one point, he crouched down and entered an animated conversation with Mildred Younger, 85.
After Daggett left, Younger noted that Daggett had "very good answers," but when asked if he had swayed her vote, Younger, a former teacher still active with the teacher's union, peered and said: "I'm NJEA. Does that tell you anything?"
Younger said she was worried about her pension and would be voting for Corzine.
Christie began his statewide tour at the Toms River Municipal Building, speaking before 300 cheering Republicans.
Outside of the building sat a multi-colored bus emblazoned with union logos and the words: "United for Corzine. It's about Building a Better New Jersey."
Inside that bus, Robert F. Kilkenny, a representative of the plasterers' and cement masons' union, said Christie was against workers because he did not favor rules governing government contracts that required union labor and higher prevailing wage rates.
Christie "wants to crush us as labor," Kilkenny said. "We've determined that his race is crucial, and we have to do something about it."
Before he headed off on his big black bus, Christie responded and said his policy proposals of cutting government and taxes would help average workers.
"We have 10 percent unemployment; my goal for the working people of New Jersey is to get them back to work," Christie said, then added: "We can not have a state with higher taxes, higher spending, more debt, and expect that companies are going to come here to create private-sector jobs here. They're simply not."
Corzine, who has repeatedly told unionized workers that if they stand by him, "I'll stand by you for the next four years," enjoyed a visit from former President Bill Clinton on Tuesday before he spent the week campaigning in vote-rich northern New Jersey.
In the end, the candidates' positions have largely rolled along familiar trails marked out in their campaigns this fall.
While Corzine touted lower state budgets and smaller state workforces in the past two years, he also vowed to keep funding for items he deemed important and kept the door open for tax hikes or other revenue generators.
Christie, by contrast, promised to cut government spending and regulation, and he ruled out tax increases. He said he may need to defer tax cuts, but promised to give some property tax relief next year.
"We'll see at what level we can restore them, but we'll have property tax relief next year," Christie said at a stop in Hamilton.
Both Corzine and Christie said they would defer a $2 billion state contribution to the pension and accept federal stimulus money as a way to bridge next year's expected budget gap.
Daggett, meanwhile, pinned his hopes on his plan to expand the state sales tax by $4 billion to pay for a massive property tax relief effort. He said in an interview Monday that he would require local officials to keep annual spending under budget caps before releasing the property tax relief money to their towns.
But now that most everything has been said, what remains to be done is the massive Get Out The Vote effort, known in politics as GOTV.
Union leaders say they will have thousands on the streets on Election Day to get their votes out for Corzine. Republicans, like Ocean County GOP chairman George Gilmore, say they will put their supporters into phone banks and into other efforts. Gilmore said 400 to 500 volunteers were ready in Ocean County.
Ocean County is traditionally one of the strongest Republican counties, and Gilmore said Christie needed to win it by at least 30,000 — but probably some 35,000 to 45,000 votes — to be competitive statewide.
Yet for all the hoopla, Seton Hall political scientist Joseph Marbach predicted a low-turnout election — because the negative ads have driven up unfavorable ratings on candidates and some voters will simply choose to stay home.
Marbach said he wished the campaign would have generated a more thorough discussion about all that ails New Jersey.
"It went negative early, and stayed negative," Marbach said. "We have not a spirited discussion of the issues. Look, we need to be ready. We have an $8 billion deficit, and we need to discuss what services we need to cut, what we want to expand, and how much we're willing to pay for."
PRESS OF ATLANTIC CITY
Gubernatorial candidates crisscross N.J. as Election Day looms
The candidates for governor are busying themselves with rallies and events in the final weekend of the campaign, taking one last chance to shake hands, greet voters and cajole party members before Tuesday's election.
Candidates planned rallies and tours, drawing in prominent politicians to support their campaigns.
Polls in recent weeks show the campaign between Republican Chris Christie and Democratic Gov. Jon S. Corzine remain essentially tied, with independent Chris Daggett getting what could be a historic level of support.
With potentially 200,000 mail-in ballots to be counted Tuesday, a winner in the nationally watched race may not be known election night.
Christie staffers said Saturday that they were prepared for what happens but were confident in their candidate's success.
Corzine echoed that sentiment during a campaign event: "We'll accept the will of the voters, whether it happens Tuesday night or Wednesday morning."
Events continue today, with Corzine tapping President Barack Obama for a third visit to the state in five months. Published reports have stated that the Corzine campaign has closely coordinated its comeback attack with the White House since August. National Democrats also have been involved.
A Saturday e-mail to state supporters from Natalie Foster, new media director for the Democratic National Committee, said the race would be close and urged Democrats to make sure that other Corzine supporters reached the polls.
Christie has planned six stops today, including three diner visits.
A statewide bus tour took Daggett to Vineland, Wildwood and Margate on Saturday. He planned four events today, including greeting people attending the New York Jets football game at Giants Stadium.
Daggett's rented white bus pulled up to the Statehouse shortly after noon Friday. He repeated his message on the Statehouse steps - to a smattering of reporters and campaign workers - that the change the state needed was beyond the two-party system.
Supporters held enlargements of palm cards designed to guide voters in finding Daggett amid the thicket of 10 independent candidates.
A State Police officer approached the bus. He leaned his head in. The bus left the no-parking zone a few minutes later.
Daggett continued, recounting the enthusiasm he said greeted him across the state. "It is never wrong to vote for the right person," he said.
He said a host of Republicans, including former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, asked him to drop out of the race.
"I'd ask him to withdraw from New Jersey, frankly," Daggett said of Giuliani, who is backing Christie.
Leaving the capitol he hoped to occupy, he arrived at DeLorenzo's Pizza, a landmark eatery about 15 minutes northeast of Trenton. He roamed the half-empty restaurant, introducing himself, shaking hands and leaving campaign literature.
Nearby, Michael Nittori and friends were having pizza and wine. Nittori saw Daggett on television and considered him a viable, if underfinanced, alternative.
"My only problem is I'm wondering a lot about the odds here," Nittori said. "What about Moneybags?" he asked, referring to Corzine.
Several hours later, Giuliani and former Republican Gov. Thomas Kean joined Christie and his lieutenant governor running mate, Kim Guadagno, at St. Matthew's Parish Hall in Paramus, Bergen County. Giuliani said the state had problems.
"The thing is, you have the wrong governor," he said, to cheers. "We need new leadership, and we need a new leader."
Taking over for Giuliani, Christie recounted how as U.S. attorney he would talk with Giuliani, who also served a stint as a prosecuting attorney in Manhattan. Christie said, "In case anyone asks if I miss being attorney, the answer is only every day!"
Mixing ready humor with his sales pitch, he urged Republicans in the room to vote for him and speak to others. It was in their hands, he said, to prevent a "government that grows and grows to the size of Jon Corzine's dreams."
He joked that the barrage of Democratic attack ads in recent months have even worn him down. "I don't even recognize myself in the mirror," he said. "I might not even vote for myself. I'm on the fence."
On Saturday, Corzine rallied supporters at the Ancient Order of Hibernians hall in Hamilton Township, Mercer County.
Joined by running mate state Sen. Loretta Weinberg, D-Bergen, former U.S. Sen. Bill Bradley and other state and local lawmakers, Corzine urged Democrats to vote and campaign for him.
Corzine said the state has a partner in the White House and acknowledged having to make difficult decisions as governor. "I know I asked for tough votes," he said.
He touted his support for expanded preschool. "Anybody who can afford it already does it," he said, and now it was time to offer it to everyone.
Corzine exhorted party members, saying whether one supported the Phillies or the Yankees, a bigger contest was at stake.
"I know everybody's hyped up about the World Series, right?" Corzine said. "We got some Yankee hats here, we got some Philly hats. But the fact is, we have the seventh game of the World Series of politics right here in the state of New Jersey."
Contact Derek Harper: 609-292-4935 DHarper@pressofac.com.
By Tom Moran, Ledger columnist
November 01, 2009, 7:00AM
For the 80 percent of New Jerseyans who have made a firm decision on their vote Tuesday, here is an irritating fact of life: The outcome now hinges largely on the other 20 percent. These are the people who tell pollsters they haven’t decided, or may change their minds.
Why so much indecision? One reason is that many people have powerfully mixed feelings about Gov. Jon Corzine, the man at the center of this fight.
Look through another and you see a clumsy politician who bought his way to power, a captive of the unions and a sugar daddy to the corrupt party establishment, a man who is hopelessly ill-equipped to lead the reform movement the state really needs.
Partisans on both sides push one view or the other, the black or the white. But to honestly evaluate Corzine, you have to look through both lenses because each picture contains some truth. Sorry, but this one is not simple. Let’s take a look, starting with the good stuff.
Those who paint Corzine as a wild-spending liberal have just not paid attention. He has reduced state spending two years in a row and put more money into the pension fund than his three predecessors combined. He cut the state workforce by 8,400, more than 10 percent, and negotiated a contract with state workers that raised the retirement age by 7 years and forced contributions to health care for the first time.
Yes, he could have done more. A depressing clue to the governor’s true feelings came when he attended a labor rally during his first year in office to cheer on the state workers. He also showed the judgment of a hormone-soaked high school kid when he romanced Carla Katz, the leader of the state’s largest union local.
Still, despite being in bed with the unions, literally and figuratively, Corzine made more progress than his predecessors did at the bargaining table.
More good stuff: He revamped a school funding formula to end the profound injustice done for many years to working-class districts — places too wealthy to get the generous aid the Supreme Court ordered for poor districts, but not wealthy enough to compete with richer suburbs. So families in these towns paid higher taxes while their kids got short-changed in school. Fixing that was a big win for the governor.
None of this makes the governor’s personal list, though. Asked to name his signature achievement, he said: "Protecting children."
He includes New Jersey’s preschool programs, now arguably the nation’s best, with small classes and trained teachers. The state Supreme Court ordered it done, but Corzine did it well. And he began expanding it far beyond the court’s order before this Great Recession stalled him. He also includes growing enrollment in health insurance plans for children and solid gains in the state’s ability to protect abused children and arrange for their foster care and adoptions.
"Gov. Corzine has been a leader on this," says Ceil Zalkind, head of the Association for Children of New Jersey.
Finally, add the governor’s willingness to sign a gay marriage bill, his enactment of paid family leave and the abolition of the state’s death penalty on his watch.
Okay, now let’s look through the other lens, the darker one that may stay the hand of many voters once they are in the booth, with the curtain closed.
It has to start with his money. He bought his way into the Senate in 2000 and his gaudy use of money has tainted every election since.
Worse, he has given generously to the worst characters in the party, several of whom are now in jail. He is complicit in the state’s corruption plague because these bosses used his money to tighten their grip on power.
Corzine’s close ties to public employee unions are a concern as well. Because while he did win concessions with state workers, the real money is at the local level, paid to teachers, cops and firefighters. They all love Corzine because he hasn’t lifted a finger to change the negotiating rules that protect their high salaries and generous benefits. Thousands of public employees will be out volunteering for Corzine on Election Day. They know the score.
Here’s the problem for taxpayers: There is no way to reduce local spending without doing battle without these unions. So with Corzine in charge, we are likely to continue paying crushing property taxes.
And when the economy turns around, the smart money bets Corzine will use most of the windfall to expand programs, not cut taxes. This is the man who went to Washington to establish universal health care, universal care for the elderly, universal day care and universal access to college education. Events have forced him to scale back but in his heart, he would be politically at home in a country like Sweden.
And he doesn’t hide those colors. Last week, he visited a preschool in Pennsauken, a working class town near Camden where 60 percent of the kids are poor enough to qualify for free lunches.
In the brightly decorated classrooms, trained teachers used puppets and picture books to teach the basics of reading, always in small classes where each kid gets plenty of attention.
"Frankly, I believe we can’t afford not to be investing in this," the governor said. "My only regret is that given the recession, we haven’t been able to take forward our plans to expand even further."
So where does all this leave us? You’ll have to consult your own priorities to answer that one.
But one thing seems clear: We should all have some sympathy for the 20 percent who can’t decide.
