June 7, 2005 Corzine's rich, rested, and ready for GOP winner
By Joe Donohue
STAR LEDGER
For Jon Corzine, the campaign for governor really begins today.
With only token opposition in the Democratic primary, he has been like a fighter prepping for the title bout by shadow-boxing in the gym's corner.
But the U.S. senator insists his regular jousting with Republicans in Washington has left him battle- hardened, and he is ready for the fall showdown.
As seven Republican candidates darted around the state yesterday on the eve of the primary election, Corzine claimed to have no preference among the group.
"What I'm rooting for is an honest debate about issues during the fall to contrast where we stand," he said.
Corzine said he would like to stick to the issues. But he doesn't believe in "unilateral disarmament" and is ready for likely Republican attacks on his ties to the Democratic Party establishment, his voting record in Congress and other perceived political weak spots. "Unchallenged attacks are a great way to lose campaigns," he said.
The luxury of an uncontested primary let him maintain his attendance record in the Senate while garnering news coverage by traveling to places like the war-torn Sudan and the tsunami-ravaged coasts of Indonesia.
Some had expected him to copy past candidates and hide out in Washington, D.C., until the primary was over. Instead, he has spent some time campaigning in New Jersey, receiving endorsements from friendly groups like the Sierra Club and labor unions, and holding a series of press conferences where he laid out fairly detailed positions on issues like ethics, the state budget, health insurance and property taxes.
"I've been a candidate and a senator at the same time. I've tried to lay down thoughtful approaches to some of the major issues," he said.
Corzine, a multimillionaire who spent $63 million to win his Senate seat five years ago, has said he is trying to run a more frugal operation this year. The lack of a strong primary challenger helped him there. Unlike in 2000, when he was forced to spend more than $34 million on the primary to defeat former Gov. Jim Florio, he has spent less than $2 million so far this year, including just under $1 million of his own money.
By contrast, Republican Doug Forrester, also a multimillionaire self-financing his campaign, has shelled out nearly $10 million. His aides say he had a good reason to spend so much. He not only ran a primary campaign against six opponents, but he repeatedly targeted Corzine. For instance, in April, he ran a 60-second radio ad citing Democratic power broker George Norcross' boasts of influence over the senator.
Corzine said he "believes in the Democratic Party in its broad form" and sometimes has used his wealth to show his support. He believes he can convince the public of his independence, particularly since he wasn't the one who received money from party bosses. "Giving money is a heck of a lot different than taking money. And I don't think the public is going to confuse the difference," he said.
Only on Sunday did Corzine run his first television advertisements of the campaign. One upbeat commercial aired in the New York and Philadelphia media markets before the final Republican debate, and he used it to outline his basic agenda: a pledge to reduce property taxes, "grow" the economy, press for affordable health care and "control" spending. The other, which ran in the Philadelphia region, touted his plan to increase taxpayer rebates 10 percent annually.
A Star-Ledger/ Eagleton-Rutgers poll late last month showed Corzine with a 42 percent to 29 percent lead if pitted against Forrester and a 44 percent to 24 percent edge over Bret Schundler, the other leading contender for the GOP nomination. Republicans were thrilled that Corzine's approval rating was below 50 percent, a disturbing sign for an incumbent.
Cliff Zukin, a political science professor at Rutgers University, said Corzine emerges from the primary season with several advantages. New Jersey voters generally support Democratic candidates in statewide races, and Corzine is better known than all the Republicans.
"Republicans will have an uphill challenge whoever the Republican is," Zukin said.
Jennifer Duffy, analyst with the Cook Political Report, said she still thinks the Democrats will prevail. But if Forrester is the Republican nominee, his personal wealth should enable him to mount a serious challenge. "I have it at 'likely D' right now. I might move it to 'lean' and see how Forrester does," she said.
