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CORZINE TRIUMPHS
Achieving a triumphant but expensive leap from the U.S. Senate's ornate chambers to the State House's golden dome, Democrat Jon Corzine was elected governor yesterday to cap a bruising campaign that assures Democrats continued state government domination.
With almost all votes counted, Corzine had 53.5 percent of the vote, defeating Republican Doug Forrester, who received 43.2 percent, in the costliest and likely meanest election in New Jersey history.
"I love you, and that's the fact, and I am deeply appreciative to all of you and the people of New Jersey because we stood up for what is right," Corzine told supporters gathered in East Brunswick for a victory celebration last night.
Corzine's win focuses attention on his ambitious agenda of property tax, education, ethics and health-care reform and economic growth centered on state ports and embryonic stem cell research. He pledged yesterday to implement his promises.
"We can change the way the public business is done in New Jersey," Corzine said.
A reserved Forrester, standing with his family, conceded defeat shortly before 10 p.m. in Plainsboro.
"I'm here to encourage Senator Corzine," Forrester said.
He offered to help Corzine "in any way that he sees fit, to carry out what I believe is an important public task of healing New Jersey, bringing New Jersey together, of giving New Jersey that brighter future we spoke of in this campaign."
Corzine enjoyed a healthy lead most of the night as votes were being counted.
Republicans, exuding confidence throughout yesterday, seemed astonished that Forrester - who trailed by 4 to 9 points in public opinion polls in the closing days - proved uncompetitive.
Sen. Diane Allen, R-Edgewater Park, described the numbers as "a much wider margin than I would ever expect."
"It's very tough when you get outspent by so many millions," Allen said of Forrester's defeat.
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But even as Republicans vowed the gap would close, Corzine's advantage widened to double-digits as he enjoyed huge margins in several counties throughout the state, especially Camden, Essex, Hudson, Middlesex and Union.
Corzine also proved competitive in places Republicans hoped to make gains, such as Bergen County, and Corzine won 57 percent of the vote in Mercer County, which is Forrester's home turf.
"The tone of the campaign in the final three weeks turned a lot of people off," said Morris County Freeholder John Murphy, a Republican who lost to Forrester in the GOP primary. "The question is: Did it move them to support Senator Corzine or did it move them to stay home?"
Corzine's victory became apparent about 90 minutes after the polls closed. His margin proved similar to public opinion polls released immediately after the June primaries.
Corzine's win came after Democrats mounted what they boasted was the most intensive get-out-the-vote effort in state history.
Corzine will succeed Richard J. Codey, a Democrat who became acting governor in November 2004 when James E. McGreevey resigned amid a gay sex scandal.
Codey considered running for governor but bowed to the wealthy Corzine's money and party organizational support and endorsed Corzine.
Corzine will become the state's 52nd governor and his win in the bruising gubernatorial race will open a U.S. Senate seat.
Corzine will resign from that seat, which he has held since January 2001, when he moves into the governor's office in January.
Yesterday brought to a close a campaign in which Corzine and Forrester spent at least $72 million, much of it their own money. Corzine outspent Forrester 2-1 in the general election campaign.
Corzine, 58, who spent about $65 million of his money to win his U.S. Senate position, spent about $40 million this time. He's wealthy from his days as Goldman Sachs chairman, a post he held from 1994 to 1999.
Most of the candidates' spending was on television ads, many of them negative. Most noteworthy was a late Forrester ad that featured a critical quote from Corzine's ex-wife about Corzine, an ad that prompted Corzine to run ads alleging a smear campaign and tying Forrester to President Bush.
Forrester's ad highlighted a quote from The New York Times by Corzine's ex-wife, who said Corzine "let his family down, and he'll probably let New Jersey down too."
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But Corzine - who rounded up late support yesterday from union workers in Edgewater Park and Hamilton - spent the final days continuing to tout detailed plans he unveiled throughout the year.
Democrats last night argued the ad backfired on Forrester.
"Jon had a desire to talk about the issues but the campaign spiraled out of control," said Assemblywoman Bonnie Watson Coleman, D-Ewing, chairwoman of the Democratic State Committee. "The Republicans engaged in character assassination."
Citing the campaign's attack ads, Corzine thanked voters for "rejecting the Bush-Rove tactics."
"It's bad for politics and it's bad for New Jersey and it ought to be stopped in its tracks and we did that in New Jersey," Corzine said.
He asked supporters to put the campaign behind them.
"Let's move forward for the sake of our children in this great state," Corzine said.
With his plans in tow, Corzine's move to the governor's office will be much anticipated.
He has promised to increase property tax rebates 10 percent per year, to call the Legislature into special session early next year to consider property tax reform and to push a proposal through the Legislature to ask voters to convene a constitutional convention to consider property tax reform.
He has vowed to insure the health of 766,000 uninsured New Jerseyans and implement a host of other health-care reforms for just $15 million.
He repeatedly touted his plan to institute tough new ethics reforms, including an elected state comptroller and a ban on campaign contributions from government contractors at all government levels.
While he will deal with a Democratic Senate and Assembly, both houses previously have failed to consider many of the same proposals espoused by Corzine, which could pose a problem.
Corzine, though, has pledged to use his "political capital" to get his plans into law.
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Corzine also faces tough budgeting decisions, with public employee pension, transportation project, school construction and higher education funding among the ominous hurdles.
Celebrating at the East Brunswick Hilton last night, Corzine promised to tackle the challenges.
"We can make a difference in people's lives," he said.
But besides public policy issues, Corzine's relationships with influential Democratic Party bosses will be closely watched.
He has vowed to be independent, though Forrester spent the campaign trying to convince voters Corzine would be no different than tainted Democrats.
Corzine tried to position himself as unconnected to Democratic Party troubles and said last night he would prove his independence.
"Public service is about serving the public," Corzine said. "Nothing else."
The loss was a bitter defeat for Forrester, a former West Windsor mayor. It's his second election defeat, having lost a 2002 U.S. Senate bid. This was an expensive loss for Forrester, who spent about $30 million of his own money on the campaign.
Forrester spent much of the campaign pitching a plan to constitutionally require the state to pay 30 percent of the property taxes on each primary home and ethics reforms, but he also struggled to hold Republicans together among charges he wasn't running a conservative enough campaign.
Forrester is expected to return to his businesses, Benecard Services, a Lawrence-based pharmacy benefits management company, and Heartland Fidelity Insurance Co., created solely to insure Benecard clients.
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Democrats are expected to jockey for Corzine's U.S. Senate seat. Just the possibility the seat could open with a Corzine gubernatorial win initiated a competition of sorts among Democrats in recent months, with Reps. Robert Menendez, D-Union City; Frank Pallone, D-Long Branch; Rob Andrews, D-Haddon Heights, and Rep. Rush Holt, D-Hopewell Township, among the rumored contenders. Codey also has been mentioned often.
U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg, D-N.J., said he expected to be involved in choosing Corzine's successor.
"I'll have an opinion, but I want to listen to Jon's thoughts," Lautenberg said.
Menendez was the first to congratulate Corzine, putting out a statement at 9:41 p.m.
"Jon Corzine ran a campaign of ideas, and the voters embraced his plans to make our state safer and more affordable for all of its citizens," Menendez said.
Corzine will become the third U.S. senator from New Jersey to leave the Senate to become governor, the first since A. Harry Moore in 1938.
This is also the first time Democrats have won consecutive gubernatorial elections since 1973 and 1977, when Brendan Byrne won his first and second terms. NOTE: Staff writers Mark Perkiss and Tracey Regan contributed to this report.
NOTE: Contact State House bureau chief Tom Hester Jr. at thester@njtimes.com or at (609) 777-4464.