New Jersey Voters Defeat Stem Cell Measure

By DAVID W. CHEN

TRENTON, Nov. 6 — In a stunning defeat for Gov. Jon S. Corzine, New Jersey voters on Tuesday rejected a ballot measure that would have permitted the state to borrow $450 million for stem cell research.

The sound defeat, coupled with the failure of another initiative that would have set aside more money for property tax rebates, marked the first time in 17 years that voters in New Jersey had defeated any statewide ballot question.

The ballot questions offered a rare surprise on a day in which Democrats maintained their control over both houses in the State Legislature. As of midnight, Democrats appeared poised to add one seat to their 22-18 majority in the Senate by winning seats in Atlantic City and Cape May Counties that had been in the hands of Republicans. In the Assembly, Republicans appeared to chip one or two seats from the Democrats’ current 50-30 majority.

But it was the defeat of the stem cell measure by a resounding 53-47 percent margin that dealt a sharp blow to Mr. Corzine, who had campaigned heavily for it and had contributed $150,000 to the effort.

Supporters had argued that the borrowing would help pay for research that could help deliver New Jersey from financial distress by bringing additional tax revenue and tens of thousands of jobs to the state. Critics, by contrast, said that New Jersey could not afford to add to the state’s surging debt load of $30 billion.

Though recent polls had indicated that the initiative would pass easily, a coalition of conservatives, anti-abortion activists and the Catholic church conducted a last-minute advertising blitz against it.

“I don’t think the majority of New Jerseyans are against stem cell research,” said Richard J. Codey, the State Senate president. “I think they were sending us a message. The message is, ’Get your fiscal house in order first.’ ” He said he would meet with Governor Corzine tomorrow and they would talk about the issue and whether they should bring this back before the Legislature.

But at midnight, Mr. Corzine’s press secretary said the governor was not ready to concede. “Regardless of the outcome, New Jersey will continue to create a climate where stem cell research can thrive,” said the spokeswoman, Lilo Stainton.

Mayor Steve Lonegan of Bogota, a former Republican candidate for governor who is now the New Jersey leader of a conservative group called Americans for Prosperity, had a different view. “These were faits accomplis four weeks ago,” he said. “No one thought we had a chance. But we had a powerful message. This is the power of ideas versus big government. This is just a group of taxpayers saying enough is enough, we’re taking back our state. We went hand to hand arguing our point. And you know what? New Jersey is not the hopelessly liberal state that people think it is.”

Republicans appeared to score important victories in a few races, including the state’s marquee matchup, the Senate race in the 12th Legislative District, which includes parts of Monmouth and Mercer Counties. Assemblywoman Jennifer Beck of Red Bank was leading the Democratic incumbent, Ellen Karcher, in this historically Republican district, 54 percent to 46 percent, with about 75 percent of the precincts reporting.

With no federal or statewide races being decided in this election, political analysts said that they had expected voter turnout to be about 35 percent, the same as in 2003, the last time that all 120 seats in the Legislature were being contested.

Most races focused on local issues and personal relationships rather than any overarching statewide issues. The election was not viewed as a referendum on Mr. Corzine, a Democrat who enjoys close to 50 percent approval ratings despite unease about his plan to refinance state assets like the New Jersey Turnpike.

Still, Democrats, wary of recent polls indicating that residents are becoming more pessimistic about the state’s fiscal future, outspent Republicans three to one, with much of the money going toward last-minute advertising.

That effort appeared to pay off in the traditionally Republican strongholds of Atlantic City and Cape May, as two popular Democratic assemblymen, Jim Whelan and Jeff Van Drew, were leading their respective opponents, Senators James J. McCullough and Nicholas Asselta.

“I feel pretty good,” Mr. Codey said at his headquarters in West Orange. “I would have liked to have the cake, the icing and the cherry on the top. This is minus the cherry.”

The cherry was a reference to the Beck-Karcher race. That contest was so highly anticipated that many Democratic and Republican leaders, including Assemblyman Joseph Cryan, the state Democratic chairman, and the Assembly minority leader, Alex DeCroce, a Republican, converged on Monmouth County to show their support.

“They had the money; we had the message, and frankly, our message resonates with the voters,” Mr. DeCroce told New Jersey Network.

Assemblyman Cryan conceded that Senator Karcher had been hurt by a controversy over how she had received tax breaks on her property for growing Christmas trees. “The property tax issue was difficult. It was difficult to overcome,” he said.

Going into the election, Democrats held a 22-to-18 advantage in the Senate, and 50-to-30 in the Assembly.

Only a handful of contests were viewed as competitive. In fact, three races in the Senate and one in the Assembly were uncontested.

In South Jersey, Mr. Van Drew, who bills himself as a conservative Democrat, was leading Mr. Asselta. His running mates, Assemblyman Nelson T. Albano and Matt Milam, were also leading their Republican counterparts.

A little farther north along the Garden State Parkway, Mr. Whelan, a former mayor of Atlantic City, defeated Mr. McCullough, the mayor of Egg Harbor Township. Shortly after 9:30 p.m., Mr. McCullough appeared before his supporters, and conceded the race to Mr. Whelan. But he couldn’t help getting in a dig at George E. Norcross III, the Camden County Democratic leader who poured a lot of money into the race.

“Congratulations to George Norcross,” Mr. McCullough quipped.

But in a sign of how Republicans are still strong in Atlantic County, Mr. McCullough’s two running mates for the Assembly, Vince Polistina and John Amodeo, appeared headed for victory. So, too, was the executive in Atlantic City, Dennis Levinson, the Republican incumbent.

In the southwestern quadrant of the state, Assemblyman Fran Bodine, a longtime Republican who switched to the Democratic Party this year in order to run for the Senate, was trailing Phil Haines, the Burlington County clerk.

Jill P. Capuzzo, Jeremy W. Peters and Nate Schweber contributed reporting.

Republicans may finally have a shot at relevance

Wednesday, November 07, 2007

Democrats kept their win ning streak alive yesterday, and will continue to control everything in Trenton for at least two more years.

But this election was no disaster for Republicans. For one thing, Democrats have no mandate be cause they followed the governor's lead by evading the central issues the state now faces. They conceded that the state's fiscal crisis is the central challenge of our day, but re fused to say which painful steps they would take to address it.

More important, this election will give the aimless Republicans a fresh start at making themselves relevant. Because most members of the party's old guard in the Senate are retiring, and they are likely to be replaced by a promising new team that is, on average, 30 years younger.

The new kids are hungry. Well before yesterday's voting, they were helping plan a leadership coup, according to several sources, which would install the combative Sen. Tom Kean Jr. as their new leader. That would push aside the more genteel Sen. Leonard Lance, who has guided the caucus for the last four years.

"That's pretty close to being a done deal," said Sen. Robert Mar tin of Morris County. "Leonard is being punished for being too nice a guy. In the caucus, among the hard core, they really want someone to be a firebrand."

This could go either way. Lance is a gentleman, an intellectual, and that rare figure, a man whose word is trusted on both sides of the aisle. He is a throwback to a more civilized day, a patrician who never loosens his tie and never allows a grammatical error to pass his lips.

But whether he's to blame or not, it's a fact that Republicans are almost irrelevant in Trenton these days. And the younger members of the party are ready to knock their heads into brick walls to change that.

"You have a bunch of scrappy younger Republican senators coming in who are going to fight like hell for reform," said Bill Baroni, an assemblyman from Mercer County who last night was well ahead in his race to win a Senate seat.

Several of the Republicans who won Senate seats yesterday are now members of the Assembly, where they have been unable to maneuver because of rules that sharply limit the power of the minority party.

In the Senate, the dynamic is very different. Senators have larger staffs, higher profiles and critical powers that they can use as leverage, including the ability to block gubernatorial appointments.

"That's a huge lever," said retired Sen. Bill Gormley, a Republican who was famous for getting his way with governors of either party. "These new senators can be incredibly effective. And they are battle- tested from their time in the Assembly."

To see how this might play out, look at the prospects for ethics reform, the albatross around the Democratic Party's neck.

Democrats tried to release some pressure by enacting weak reforms earlier this year on dual officeholding and campaign finance reform. Gov. Jon Corzine says he wants more, and will push hard for it this year.

As it happens, Republicans agree with him. It's the Democratic leaders in the Legislature who are blocking the tougher reforms.

So look for the new senators to pounce on this in a way the old guard did not. They will offer the governor support, and challenge him to get his own troops in line. They will seek Democratic defec tions so they can force a floor vote on the reforms, even if Senate President Richard Codey tries to block it. They will hold news conferences and town meetings to push the cause.

Several of the new senators- elect, including Assemblywoman Jennifer Beck, who unseated Democratic Sen. Ellen Karcher in a tough Monmouth County race, made ethics a centerpiece of their campaigns.

Republicans could easily blow this. Some privately say they worry Kean will be too shrill, as he was during last year's U.S. Senate race against Sen. Robert Menendez.

But several of the Republicans favored to win Senate seats last night have a history of civil rela tions with Democrats, and of cutting deals when the opportunity arises.

Assemblyman Kevin O'Toole, who also won a Senate seat yesterday, was among a group of Republicans who helped Corzine in key budget votes during last year's government shutdown, and won concessions on spending cuts in re turn. The lesson, he said, is that even a few Republicans can be influential when Democrats are divided.

"That opened our eyes," O'Toole said.

The new lawmakers will have to learn under fire. The Legislature is about to wrestle with a $3billion budget gap, the governor's plan to "monetize" state highways, and the need to rewrite the school aid for mula -- choices that will speak di rectly to the property tax crisis and the size of government.

"We will be opening the door to the kind of discussion that I believe has not been seen in Trenton for 20 years," said Bob Franks, a former Republican congressman and one of the party's wise elders. "Future campaigns will be dominated by where you were on this, because these huge choices are finally be coming an inevitability. And it's about time."

For Republicans, this won't be easy. They are still in the minority, their new leader is untested, and it's not clear that most people in New Jersey want the smaller government they have in mind.

But the new kids are fired up. And if Democrats aren't careful, the Republicans may make themselves relevant again.

Tom Moran may be reached at tmoran@starledger.com or (973) 392-1823.

Nov 7, 12:31 AM EST

Associated Press : Democrats retain control of NJ Legislature

By TOM HESTER Jr.

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) -- Democrats retained control of the New Jersey Legislature on Tuesday, boosting their Senate majority by one and maintaining their Assembly advantage amid concerns over the state's highest-in-the-nation property taxes and government corruption.

Voters rejected two of four ballot questions, including one that called for borrowing $450 million to fund stem cell research, dealing a blow to Gov. Jon S. Corzine, who had campaigned hard for the measure.

Democrats increased their Senate advantage to 23-17 despite a loss by one incumbent.

Republican Assemblywoman Jennifer Beck defeated Democratic incumbent Ellen Karcher in the 12th District that includes Mercer and Monmouth counties.

But Democrats won two South Jersey Senate seats.

Incumbent Republican Sen. Nicholas Asselta lost in the 1st District to Democratic Assemblyman Jeff Van Drew, who had 56 percent with 90 percent of the votes counted.

And incumbent Republican Sen. James "Sonny" McCullough conceded the 2nd District race to Democratic Assemblyman James Whelan. The district includes Atlantic City.

Democrats went into the day with a 50-30 Assembly advantage and appeared set to win at least 48 seats.

Republicans haven't controlled a legislative house since 2001.

Big changes were coming no matter which party won on Tuesday.

Retirements, resignations and primary election losses mean the next Legislature will have 16 new senators and at least 27 new Assembly members.

Many races were not competitive because districts tend to tilt heavily toward one party or the other.

The battle between Karcher and Beck was the most expensive and contentious this fall. Karcher raised more money than any other candidate - at least $2.1 million, most from Democratic Party leaders - and spent most of it on ads. Beck raised at least $333,000 and got 54 percent of the vote.

"I know I did my absolute best," Karcher said. "It has been my pleasure to serve."

Beck said her win proved that hard work can overcome a financial disadvantage.

"That makes a huge difference, when you get out there and meet the people you represent," she said.

Still, Senate President Richard J. Codey was enthused, noting Senate Democrats bucked a trend that has seen the governor's party lose seats in all midterm elections but one since 1951.

"We're thrilled about that," said Codey, D-Essex.

Statewide, Democrats outspent Republicans by a 3-1 margin, a ratio that increased to about 5-1 in some competitive races.

The campaigns were dominated by debate over America's highest property taxes, which average $6,330 per homeowner - twice the national average - and ethics.

Democrats recently adopted several bills aimed at controlling property taxes and increasing tax rebates, sending checks averaging $1,051 to homeowners this fall, nearly five times more than what was returned in 2006.

They also tightened ethics rules as corruption scandals touched all levels of government. Five Democratic legislators either resigned or did not seek re-election this year amid corruption investigations.

But Republicans contend the property tax and ethics reforms were weak and didn't do enough to resolve the problems.

They also tried to rally voters against Corzine's plan to address the state's financial woes by increasing highway tolls. Corzine hasn't unveiled a formal plan, saying key details remain unfinished, but Republicans charged he's waiting until after the election to help fellow Democrats.

Besides the stem cell question, voters:

Rejected a measure to dedicate all money generated from last year's sales tax increase to property tax relief.

Approved revising language outlining when voting rights can be denied by deleting from the state Constitution the phrase "idiot or insane person" and replacing it with the phrase "person who has been adjudicated by a court of competent jurisdiction to lack the capacity to understand the act of voting."

Approved borrowing $200 million for farmland and open space preservation.

Associated Press writers Jeffrey Gold and Chris Newmarker in Trenton contributed to this report.