When it comes to college basketball, there's nothing like March Madness. The equivalent for state politics this year is the June 7 gubernatorial primary - with the largest Republican field in history.
Former Jersey City Mayor Bret Schundler and Mercer businessman Doug Forrester are in the political fight of their lives, each man staking his future on coming out on top of the seven-man field.
It is the largest candidate entry list since nine Democrats unsuccessfully challenged Gov. Brendan T. Byrne in the June 1977 primary. Byrne won easily in November.
Schundler is attempting to learn from his mistakes in the 2001 gubernatorial election, which he lost to Democrat Jim McGreevey.
Forrester is attempting a comeback after losing to Frank Lautenberg in the 2002 U.S. Senate election. He might have fared better against his initial opponent, the scandal-plagued Robert Torricelli, but the state Supreme Court allowed Torricelli to step down and the Democrats to resurrect Lautenberg.
Forrester, former director of pensions in the Kean administration, has picked up more county GOP endorsements than any of his rivals. He's won in Mercer, Burlington, Gloucester, Union and Atlantic.
Assemblyman Paul DiGaetano, of Nutley, triumphed in the Bergen Republican Convention on March 14, gaining 188 of 835 votes cast. Forrester was a close second, with 161 votes. Schundler was third, with 157.
Forrester and Schundler are poll front-runners, well ahead of their opponents.
But the winner of the Schundler-Forrester joust in the June primary must contend with U.S. Sen. Jon Corzine of Hoboken, unchallenged for the June Democratic gubernatorial nomination.
Ex-Wall Street ace Corzine has millions to spend; so has Forrester, with at least $8 million to spend in the primary.
Schundler can't match that, so he's turning to other methods - such as trying to reach one million voters through e-mail to pitch his property tax "revolution," hopefully augmented by campaign contributions.
Schundler is concentrating on the property tax relief issue, having proposed a constitutional amendment to pin state spending to slightly above the rate of inflation.
Currently, state revenues are growing 2 percent faster than inflation. That extra money, Schundler says, would be returned to local governments to offer tax relief.
Counting on the constitutional amendment - the bill is still in committee - along with a reduced state work force and other efficiencies, Schundler argues these would lower property taxes by 12 percent the first year. And, he says, there's a University of Pennsylvania study that backs his numbers.
However, Freeholder Todd Caliguire, R-Bergen - himself a gubernatorial candidate, albeit a long shot - contends Schundler's plan is too complicated.
Caliguire faults Schundler for not mentioning regionalization of services as a deterrent to property tax increases.
Schundler is hoping to ward off Caliguire as well as the bigger fish in the primary on the strength of his conservative base - estimated at 35 percent of the Republican electorate. He used a similar tactic to beat Rep. Bob Franks of Union to win the GOP gubernatorial nomination in 2001.
In addition to Forrester, DiGaetano and Caliguire, he's also facing Bogota Mayor Steve Lonegan, Morris County John Murphy and Bergen County businessman Robert Schroeder.
Commented Schundler recently: "Our revolution is starting now."
