Jon Corzine

Needy NJ Families Giving Thanks That Corzine Is Still Governor?

Evan McMorris-Santoro | November 24, 2009, 6:53PM

Gov. Jon Corzine (D-NJ) and Former US Attorney Chris Christie (R)

Needy families in New Jersey are learning that elections matter. Outgoing Gov. Jon Corzine (D) and his incoming successor, Chris Christie (R) are having their first open policy disagreement since the election this week over how to care for the growing number of hungry families in New Jersey this Thanksgiving.

Corzine says he's using the final weeks of his term in office to pass an emergency plan to use state funds to fill the pantries of soup kitchens across the state, which have seen a decline in donations during the economic crisis. Christie, who takes office in January, says he's against any new spending while the state is still "broke."

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NJ-GOV

New Jersey: Christie Wins After Neck-and-Neck Race

Rachel Slajda | November 3, 2009, 10:13PM

NJ Gov. Chris Christie (R)

The Associated Press and MSNBC have called it for Republican Chris Christie in the New Jersey gubernatorial election.

With 71 percent of precincts reporting, Christie had 50 percent of the vote. His opponent, Democratic Gov. Jon Corzine, trailed with 44 percent.

As results trickled in tonight, Christie held the lead but the race was too close to call. But as the night wore on, signs that Christie would take it appeared. RNC chairman Michael Steele flew from Virginia Governor-elect Bob McDonnell's victory party to New Jersey. And bellwether counties started going to Christie.

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NJ-GOV

New Jersey Still Too Close To Call

Rachel Slajda | November 3, 2009, 9:54PM

Chris Christie (R) and Jon Corzine (D)

With 64 percent of precincts reporting, Republican Chris Christie is leading Democratic Gov. Jon Corzine 50 to 44 percent in the New Jersey gubernatorial race.

The race is still too close to call. With important bellwether precinct numbers yet to come in, Corzine has been holding on.

But, as TPMDC's Eric Kleefeld explains, two counties which voted against Corzine in the last gubernatorial race -- Monmouth and Ocean -- have swung even further away from the governor this year.

We're still a ways away from calling it, but things aren't looking good for Corzine.

Late update: In a more troubling sign for the governor, GOP sources tell TPMDC RNC Chairman Mike Steele is boarding a plane bound for New Jersey.

NJ-GOV

Christie Takes Early Lead In New Jersey

Rachel Slajda | November 3, 2009, 8:43PM

Gov. Jon Corzine (D-NJ) and Former US Attorney Chris Christie (R)

Republican Chris Christie has taken an early lead in New Jersey, leading Gov. Jon Corzine 52 to 42 with 35 percent of precincts reporting. Chris Daggett, the Independent candidate, trails with six percent of the vote.

The all-important Independent vote appears to be going to Christie, with an early CNN exit poll showing 58 percent of Independents voting for the Republican candidate and only 33 percent going to Corzine. According to the poll, 28 percent of New Jersey voters are Independents.

CNN's exit polling also shows that 38 percent of voters said they were looking for change as the number one quality in a candidate. Most of those voted for Christie.

NJ-GOV

Christie Camp Calls For State Investigation Of Dem Robocalls Promoting Indy Candidate Daggett

Eric Kleefeld | November 3, 2009, 3:29PM

NJ-GOV Candidates Chris Daggett (I), Chris Christie (R) and Gov. Jon Corzine (D)

The Christie campaign is complaining to the state about a tactic from the New Jersey Democrats -- who have admitted to making robocalls to promote independent candidate Chris Daggett.

The calls happened in Somerset County, an area where Christie should likely do very well, and where any addition in vote for Daggett would likely come more from Christie's column than Corzine's.

The Christie campaign has sent a letter to ELEC (the state equivalent of the Federal Election Commission), demanding an investigation into the calls and an immediate directive that the Dems stop it, on the grounds that the calls would constitute an illegal in-kind contribution from the Dems to Daggett.

Keep in mind that these calls have been done in the final two days of a campaign -- meaning there's really no way to feasibly stop them, or to undo any potential damage that they might inflict.

NJ-GOV

Daggett Votes: I Practiced Finding My Name On The Sample Ballot

Eric Kleefeld | November 3, 2009, 2:32PM

Chris Daggett, independent candidate for governor in New Jersey

Independent New Jersey gubernatorial candidate Chris Daggett voted this morning -- in a process that involved some jokes about his obscure location on many county ballots, mixed in among numerous minor candidates.

As the Star-Ledger reports:

After taking a few minutes to fill out his ballot a poll worker said, "he can't find his name!"

When Daggett emerged he responded, "I found my name. I practiced on the sample ballot."

On my own absentee ballot, issued by Essex County, Daggett's name was ninth out of 12 choices. Corzine was first, and Christie was second, with a whole lot of lesser-known independent and third-party candidates between Daggett and the two major nominees.

NJ-GOV

New Jersey Dems Admit To Robocalls Promoting Indy Candidate Daggett In GOP County

Eric Kleefeld | November 2, 2009, 5:52PM

Chris Daggett, independent candidate for governor in New Jersey

The New Jersey Democrats have been caught in a dirty trick in the home stretch of the gubernatorial race, PolitickerNJ reports, sending out robocalls promoting independent Chris Daggett to a Republican-leaning county.

The calls went to Somerset County, which has usually been a Republican stronghold. It did vote for Barack Obama in 2008, but it also voted for Bush in 2000 and 2004, and for the GOP candidates for governor in 2001 and 2005, and for Senate in 2000, 2002, 2006 and 2008. (In two of those elections listed, Jon Corzine was the Democratic nominee.)

State Party chairman Joe Cryan had previously denied that the calls came from the Dems, though they did in fact say at the end that they were paid for by "NJDSC" (New Jersey Democratic State Committee), and listed the party's address. A party spokesperson has told PolitickerNJ that Cryan was unaware of the calls when he'd made the denial.

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NJ-GOV

Polls Show No Obvious Winner In New Jersey

Eric Kleefeld | November 2, 2009, 5:37PM

Chris Christie (R) and Jon Corzine (D)

Let's take a look at the final polls in New Jersey, which present a mixed bag of results and really no clear verdict as to who will win the close race between Democratic Gov. Jon Corzine and Republican former U.S. Attorney Chris Christie.

This race will really come down to two big questions: a) Which side is the better get-out-the-vote operation, and b) If independent Chris Daggett loses support in the voting booth, how many of his breakaway voters will be Corzine-leaners or Christie-leaners? Given past history in New Jersey, the Democrats probably have the edge on the first question. The second question, however, is simply unknowable at this time.

• The Monmouth poll has Corzine ahead 43%-41%, Daggett at 8%, with a ±3.7% margin of error. The previous poll from late last week had Christie ahead by 43%-42%-8%. The movement from one poll to the next was not statistically significant.

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NJ-GOV

Poll: Corzine Edging Christie By 43%-41%

Eric Kleefeld | November 2, 2009, 1:27PM

Gov. Jon Corzine (D-NJ) and Former US Attorney Chris Christie (R)

The new Monmouth poll of the New Jersey gubernatorial race gives Democratic Gov. Jon Corzine a narrow lead over Republican Chris Christie, in an election that is really anyone's guess going into Election Day tomorrow.

The numbers: Corzine 43%, Christie 41%, and independent Chris Daggett 8%, with a ±3.7% margin of error. This poll was conducted Saturday and Sunday. In the previous poll released yesterday, which was conducted Wednesday through Friday, Christie had a lead of 43%-42%-8%, not a statistically significant change.

From the pollster's analysis: "This race is still as close as it can be. It's possible that President Obama's visit boosted the governor's chances. But it is also likely that some anti-Corzine voters are still unsure of casting their lot with Christie. If the undecided vote breaks largely for the Republican, this race could be a squeaker."

Chris Daggett

Poll: Corzine Leads Christie By 41%-37%

Eric Kleefeld | November 2, 2009, 1:12PM

Chris Christie (R) and Jon Corzine (D)

The new Democracy Corps (D) poll of New Jersey finds Democratic Gov. Jon Corzine with a narrow lead over his Republican opponent Chris Christie, contrary to other polls today that have put Christie ahead.

The numbers: Corzine 41%, Christie 37%, and independent Chris Daggett 15%, with a ±4% margin of error. Last week, Corzine was ahead by 43%-38%-12%.

When Daggett-supporters are pushed to support a major candidate, Corzine is ahead by 47%-41%, which is consistent with other polls that have shown Daggett currently taking more votes away from Corzine than Christie. Third-party candidates often lose significant support on Election Day -- so this race could really turn on how many votes Daggett loses in the voting booth, and how many of those people are Corzine-leaners or Christie-leaners.

NJ-GOV

Poll: Christie Up Over Corzine 45%-42%

Eric Kleefeld | November 2, 2009, 12:20PM

Gov. Jon Corzine (D-NJ) and Former US Attorney Chris Christie (R)

The new SurveyUSA poll of the New Jersey gubernatorial race gives Republican nominee Chris Christie a narrow lead over Democratic Gov. Jon Corzine in the home stretch.

The numbers: Christie 45%, Corzine 42%, and independent Chris Daggett 10%, with a ±4.1% margin of error. Late last week, Corzine and Christie were tied at 43%-43%-11%.

The pollster's analysis supplies its own caveats for the poll data: "On 2 of the 3 nights, much of NJ was home watching local teams play in the World Series. And: 1 of the 3 nights was Halloween, when families with children are home in uniquely large numbers. As such, results of this survey should be interpreted cautiously: a narrow Corzine victory is not inconsistent with the data, but a narrow Christie win is more consistent with the data."

The final polls have been showing some momentum for Christie in the home stretch. Let's see whether it holds true tomorrow night, or whether the New Jersey Dems' ground game puts Corzine over the top.

NJ-GOV

Poll: Christie Ahead of Corzine By 42%-40%

Eric Kleefeld | November 2, 2009, 8:54AM

Chris Christie (R) and Jon Corzine (D)

The new Quinnipiac poll of the New Jersey gubernatorial races gives Republican nominee Chris Christie a slim lead over Democratic Gov. Jon Corzine -- a late Christie surge, after Quinnipiac last poll had put Corzine ahead.

The numbers: Christie 42%, Corzine 40%, and independent Chris Daggett 12%, with a ±2.5% margin of error. In the previous poll from last week, Corzine had 43%, Christie 38%, and Daggett 13%.

The pollster's analysis says that as of right now, Daggett is taking more votes away from Corzine than he is from Christie: "Daggett is the key to an incredibly close New Jersey election."

NJ-GOV

Poll: Christie Ahead Of Corzine By 47%-41%

Eric Kleefeld | November 1, 2009, 11:57PM

Gov. Jon Corzine (D-NJ) and Former US Attorney Chris Christie (R)

The new survey of the New Jersey gubernatorial race from Public Policy Polling (D) gives Republican nominee Chris Christie a six-point leader over Democratic Gov. Jon Corzine.

The numbers: Christie 47%, Corzine 41%, and independent Chris Daggett 11%, with a ±3.1% margin of error. The previous poll from last week gave Christie a narrower lead of 42%-38%-13%.

From the pollster's analysis: "If Christie does indeed end up as the winner it will be an indication that you can only be so unpopular as an elected official and still hope to get reelected. 57% of voters in the state have an unfavorable opinion of Corzine while only 34% view him positively. Christie isn't exactly Mr. Popularity, as only 43% of voters in the state have a favorable opinion of him to 42% negative, but compared to Corzine those numbers look pretty good."

Late Update: Another poll from today, Monmouth poll, gives Christie an edge of 43%-42%, plus Daggett with 8%, with a ±3% margin of error. The previous poll from two weeks ago had the race tied at 39%-39%-14%.

NJ-GOV

More Polls Show A Tight Race In New Jersey

Eric Kleefeld | October 30, 2009, 2:33PM

Chris Christie (R) and Jon Corzine (D)

Two new polls show that the New Jersey gubernatorial race continues to be neck and neck between Democratic Gov. Jon Corzine and Republican former U.S. Attorney Chris Christie.

• In the new Rasmussen poll, respondents' initial preferences were Christie 42%, Corzine 39%, and independent Chris Daggett 12%. After Daggett supporters were asked if they were sure they would vote for him -- along with the process of pushing undecideds who might lean towards a candidate -- the result becomes a Christie lead of 46%-43%-8%, with a ±3% margin of error.

• The new Stockton College/Zogby poll: Corzine 40%, Christie 39%, and Daggett 14%, with a ±3% margin of error.

• The new Neighborhood Research (R) poll: Christie 42%, Corzine 35%, Daggett 8%, with a ±5.3% margin of error.

So which poll, out of these three or any others, should you believe? Keep in mind that a poll with Corzine up by two points is not significantly different from a poll with Christie up by two points, statistically speaking. The vast majority of polls have shown this race to be within just a couple points -- and they're probably right.

NJ-GOV

Poll: Corzine Ahead Of Christie 43%-42%

Eric Kleefeld | October 30, 2009, 6:43AM

Gov. Jon Corzine (D-NJ) and Former US Attorney Chris Christie (R)

The new Fairleigh Dickinson poll of the New Jersey gubernatorial race gives Democratic Gov. Jon Corzine a slim edge over his Republican opponent Chris Christie.

The numbers: Corzine 43%, Christie 42%, and independent Chris Daggett 6%, with a ±4% margin of error. (Daggett was not listed as a choice, but was a voluntary answer.) This is basically unchanged from three and a half weeks ago, when Corzine was ahead 43%-42%-4% on this ballot test.

The pollster's analysis shows just how much an effect the presence of Daggett and other independents will have, and how the result can depend on how many voters he keeps or where others go: "When Daggett's name is read in an interview along with Jon Corzine's and Chris Christie's names, he gets 14% of the vote, drawing slightly more Democrats than Republicans, while Christie edges Corzine in a statistical tie, 41%-39%. But when the name of another independent candidate is read--the obscure Gary Steele--Steele gets 3% of the vote, draws off slightly more Republicans than Democrats, and Corzine beats Christie 46%- 41%."

NJ-GOV

Poll: Corzine And Christie Tied, Corzine Ahead Among Absentee Voters

Eric Kleefeld | October 29, 2009, 6:17PM

Chris Christie (R) and Jon Corzine (D)

The new SurveyUSA poll of New Jersey has the race tied between Democratic Gov. Jon Corzine and Republican challenger Jon Corzine.

The numbers: Corzine 43%, Christie 43%, and independent Chris Daggett 11%, with a ±4% margin of error. Last week, Christie was ahead by 41%-39%-19%. It's interesting to see that Daggett has fallen in the run-up to election day, as often happens with third-party candidates, and that Corzine may have been the beneficiary.

Also, the pollster's analysis says that Corzine has already banked a lead in absentee voters: "Corzine leads among the 11% of voters who tell SurveyUSA they have already returned a ballot. The candidates are even among voters who have not yet voted but say they will on or before election day. At this hour, the contest is a coin-toss. The lower the turnout, the better for Corzine."

NJ-GOV

Poll: Corzine Ahead Of Christie By 43%-38%

Eric Kleefeld | October 29, 2009, 3:53PM

Chris Christie (R) and Jon Corzine (D)

The new Democracy Corps (D) poll of New Jersey gives Democratic Gov. Jon Corzine a five-point lead over his main rival, Republican former U.S. Attorney Chris Christie.

The numbers: Corzine 43%, Christie 38%, and independent Chris Daggett 12%, with a ±4% margin of error. A week ago, Corzine led in the three-way poll by 42%-39%-13%.

When Daggett-supporters are pushed to choose between one of the top two candidates, Corzine's five-point lead holds steady at 47%-42%. This would suggest that Daggett is taking from both candidates equally at this point, despite a general impression during much of this race that he's taken more votes from Christie.

NJ-GOV

Report: White House Intervened In New Jersey Race

Eric Kleefeld | October 29, 2009, 9:36AM

Pres. Obama and Gov. Jon Crozine (D-NJ)

New Jersey Democratic Gov. Jon Corzine, who seriously trailed Republican nominee Chris Christie in polls over the summer but has caught up in the past few weeks, has reportedly seen a heavy increase in White House involvement in his campaign during that same period of recovery.

The Politico reports that the White House sent senior adviser David Axelrod and political director Patrick Gaspard to New Jersey in August, to express the White House's concerns about the race. One Corzine aide said there was a message being sent that Corzine should consider dropping out of the race -- which Corzine never would have done -- but that allegation was denied by White House officials.

Corzine did end up replacing his pollster, Mark Mellman, with Obama pollster Joel Berenson, who is also experienced in New Jersey politics. In the time since then, Corzine has focused his attacks against Christie on key issues like health care -- especially his accusation that Christie's health insurance proposals would result in women losing mammogram coverage -- and allegations of Christie abusing his office as U.S. Attorney.

Health Care

Governors (And Candidates) Span Spectrum On Public Option Opt-Out

Christina Bellantoni | October 28, 2009, 6:38PM

President Obama addresses National Governors Association

It's been two days since Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid introduced a health care bill with a public option that will allow states to opt-out.

As TPMDC wrote earlier, we still don't know the mechanism for how the states would get out (or in, if that were to happen) of the public option, but we took stock of some of the candidates for governor in Tuesday's races.

Our question: Would your state opt out of a public option?

The basic tally:

In New Jersey, Gov. Jon Corzine (D) would not. Challenger Chris Christie (R) would.

In Virginia, Bob McDonnell (R) would opt out and Creigh Deeds (D) is leaning toward opting out.

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NJ-GOV

Corzine And Bill Clinton Rally New Jersey On Democratic Issues

Eric Kleefeld | October 28, 2009, 11:20AM

Gov. Jon Corzine (D-NJ) and Fmr. Pres. Bill Clinton

Former President Bill Clinton rallied support for New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine last night, headlining a Democratic Party fundraiser in the party stronghold of Essex County, and then a rally in the nearby town of Little Falls -- with a clear focus on encouraging people to vote for Corzine out of the state's fundamental agreement on Democratic issues.

"It is an important election and elections matter," said Corzine, whose own net approval ratings are consistently in negative territory. "Elections aren't really about the candidate, they're about the direction the society will take, that New Jersey will take. Just think back to 2000, and think what would have happened if the right guy who'd gotten elected had been sworn in."

Corzine said how if Al Gore had been sworn in after the 2000 election, the country wouldn't have lost millions of jobs, and there would not have been a war of choice -- focusing on the unpopularity of the Bush administration, which just so happened to have appointed Corzine's Republican opponent Chris Christie as a U.S. Attorney.

When Bill spoke, he talked about the Republican Party's direction. "The Republicans seem to have two strategies at the state and national level," said Bill. "One, they left us a terrible mess and they complain that the President isn't fixing it quickly. And second, their strategy is to just hope that we mess up."

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NJ-GOV

Poll: Corzine Ahead of Christie By 43%-38%

Eric Kleefeld | October 28, 2009, 6:36AM

Gov. Jon Corzine (D-NJ) and Former US Attorney Chris Christie (R)

The new Quinnipiac poll in New Jersey gives Democratic Gov. Jon Corzine a five-point lead over Republican Chris Christie.

The numbers: Corzine 43%, Christie 38%, and independent Chris Daggett 13%, with a ±2.8% margin of error. Two weeks ago, Christie had an edge of 41% to Corzine's 40%, and Daggett was at 14%.

This poll suggests that Daggett is taking more votes away from Christie than Corzine, with his voters listing Christie as their second choice by a 43%-27%. This runs contrary to a Public Policy Polling (D) survey that showed Corzine as their second choice, but keep in mind these sub-samples have very high margins of error.

From the pollster's analysis: "You could see it coming. Gov. Jon Corzine's numbers crept steadily up and Christopher Christie's steadily shrank and now, for the first time, we have Corzine ahead. But don't be in a hurry to mark this election as over. Christopher Daggett changed it from 'ABC' - Anybody But Corzine - to a real three-way scrap. But a lot of Daggett's voters say they might change their minds by Election Day. Where will they go?"

NJ-GOV

Poll: Christie Ahead of Corzine By 42%-38%

Eric Kleefeld | October 27, 2009, 10:43AM

Gov. Jon Corzine (D-NJ) and Former US Attorney Chris Christie (R)

The new survey of the New Jersey gubernatorial by Public Policy Polling (D) finds Republican Chris Christie leading Democratic Gov. Jon Corzine -- with independent Chris Daggett possibly playing spoiler against Corzine.

The numbers: Christie 42%, Corzine 38%, and Daggett 13%, with a 3.9% margin of error. Two weeks ago, Christie was ahead in PPP's survey by 40%-39%-13%.

The internals of the poll suggest that Daggett may actually be siphoning more voters from Corzine right now than from Christie -- a big change from two weeks ago. In the latest poll, 42% of the present pool of Daggett-supporters list Corzine as their second choice, compared to 32% for Christie. By contrast, Daggett-backers in the last poll went 48%-34% for Christie on second choices. A big caveat is that the margins of error are very large in these sub-samples, at ±10.6% this week and ±11.4% two weeks ago, but it is an interesting data point.

From the pollster's analysis: "The Daggett voters seem to be pretty volatile so if they go back to the Corzine camp he'll have a good shot of pulling it out. The campaign that does the better job of turning out its voters will win."

Chris Christie

Poll: Christie Narrowly Ahead In New Jersey

Eric Kleefeld | October 27, 2009, 9:35AM

Chris Christie (R) and Jon Corzine (D)

The new Rasmussen poll of the New Jersey gubernatorial race finds Republican Chris Christie with some possible momentum against Democratic Gov. Jon Corzine and independent Chris Daggett in the home stretch of the campaign.

As was done last week, respondents were initially asked for first preferences between Democrat Jon Corzine, Republican Christ Christie, and independent Chris Daggett. Those who answered Daggett were then given a follow-up question of whether they were sure -- an attempt to measure the usual drop-off that third-party candidates have -- and their possible new votes were then distributed, along with undecided voters who were pushed into supporting a candidate.

The initial preferences were Christie 42%, Corzine 38%, and Daggett 14%. After Daggett-supporters and undecideds were pushed, it became Christie 46%, Corzine 43%, and Daggett 7%. Last week, Corzine had led by 37%-36%-16% on first preferences, and Christie was up by 41%-39%-11% after people were pushed. The margin of error is ±3%.

NJ-GOV

Daggett: Christie Can't Win, It's Either Corzine Or Me

Eric Kleefeld | October 26, 2009, 6:08PM

NJ-GOV candidates Chris Daggett (I) and Chris Christie (R)

Chris Daggett, the independent gubernatorial candidate in New Jersey, is boldly declaring that Republican Chris Christie can't win.

"It's either going to be Jon Corzine or me," Daggett told The Associated Press, adding that Christie's campaign "has gone backward since June."

Christie had previously led Corzine by significant margins in all the polls, but the race has now become neck and neck in most polls. During this whole period, Corzine's support has remained roughly the same, in the high-30's/low-40's range. Christie has been losing support, with Daggett gaining voters from both columns.

NJ-GOV

Bill Clinton Campaigning With Corzine Tomorrow

Eric Kleefeld | October 26, 2009, 1:16PM

Gov. Jon Corzine (D-NJ) and Fmr. Pres. Bill Clinton

Former President Bill Clinton will be campaigning tomorrow in New Jersey for Democratic Gov. Jon Corzine, yet another Democratic heavy hitter coming in to support Corzine for the home stretch of the campaign in this blue state.

Clinton will join Corzine at a 7 p.m. fundraiser for the Essex County Democratic Committee in West Orange, and an 8:45 p.m. rally in Little Falls, which is located in nearby Passaic County. Both counties are strongly Democratic (Essex much more so than Passaic), and Corzine will need big get-out-the-vote efforts in these areas.

NJ-GOV

Corzine: 'I Couldn't Give A Hoot' About Christie's Weight -- But He's Pulled Rank In Traffic Accidents

Eric Kleefeld | October 26, 2009, 12:54PM

Gov. Jon Corzine (D-NJ) and Former US Attorney Chris Christie (R)

Democratic New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine appeared on the local Fox morning program Good Day New York, where he continued to hammer Republican nominee Chris Christie on issues like the economy, pre-school funding, health care, and support for President Obama.

Corzine also denied allegations that he's attacked Chris Christ'e weight, which originated from an ad saying that Christie "threw his weight around" to get out of trouble in a traffic accident when he was U.S. Attorney.

Corzine told host Greg Kelly: "Greg, I couldn't give a hoot about his weight. And when the issue was raised about one given ad, it was about his driving down a one-way street, hitting somebody on a motorcycle, putting the fella in the hospital, and not getting a traffic ticket. How many of the viewers would hit somebody going down a street, on a one-way -- he's going the wrong way, hits somebody, put him in the hospital, wouldn't get a ticket. Flashed his credentials, and I think that the whole point was one set of rules, and another set of rules for somebody else."

Chris Christie

Poll: Corzine Ahead Of Christie By 42%-33%

Eric Kleefeld | October 26, 2009, 10:00AM

Chris Christie (R) and Jon Corzine (D)

A new Suffolk University poll gives Gov. Jon Corzine (D-NJ) a nine-point lead over Republican Chris Christie -- his largest lead in any survey during this whole race.

The numbers: Corzine 42%, Christie 33%, independent Chris Daggett 7%. In this poll, all 12 candidates on the ballot were listed, in addition to the main three, with other independents also garnering a total of 3% support, and 14% undecided. There is no prior Suffolk poll for direct comparison. The margin of error is ±5%.

The pollster's analysis shows that this race has become all about the unpopularity of all the candidates, but that Corzine is now coming out the best: "Thirty-five percent of likely voters said that they would be extremely or very comfortable with Corzine, compared to 20 percent for Christie and 9 percent for Daggett. All candidates struggled with personal popularity, with Corzine viewed favorably by 45 percent and unfavorably by 46 percent. Christie polled 34 percent favorable, 46 percent unfavorable, while Daggett scored a 20 percent favorable and 25 percent unfavorable. All three candidates had higher negatives than positives."

NJ-GOV

Final New Jersey Debate Focuses On Taxes, Corruption

Eric Kleefeld | October 22, 2009, 9:53PM

Chris Christie (R) and Jon Corzine (D)

The three candidates in New Jersey met for their final debate, a radio debate as opposed to TV. The big focus of the night was the state's property taxes, along with discussion of another big issue in New Jersey, public corruption.

Hot-button issues like health care and gay marriage were not to be found. Property taxes are a major funding mechanism for government in New Jersey -- and represent a huge burden on residents, and are thus a major campaign issue. The candidates were all asked how much they personally pay in property taxes. Democratic Gov. Jon Corzine pays about $35,000 or $36,000, Republican nominee Chris Christie pays $38,000, and independent Chris Daggett pays $18,000.

They all went through their proposals about what to do to change this. Corzine discussed his administration's accomplishments in promoting local government consolidations. Christie talked about putting pressure on local government to reduce spending, and to force consolidations by giving grants to towns to explore it -- and if it's found that consolidation would save money, they must either consolidate or pay the state the money back from the study. Daggett called for a hard cap on municipal spending, with very few exceptions, combined with an expanded sales tax base.

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NJ-GOV

Poll: Corzine Leads Christie By 42%-39%

Eric Kleefeld | October 22, 2009, 3:18PM

Chris Christie (R) and Jon Corzine (D)

The new Democracy Corps (D) poll of the New Jersey gubernatorial race finds Democratic Gov. Jon Corzine narrowly leading Republican former U.S. Attorney Chris Christie, by a slim three-point margin.

The numbers: Corzine 42%, Christie 39%, and independent Chris Daggett with 13%. This is essentially unchanged from the last D-Corps survey, which had Corzine up by 41%-38%-14%.

The analysis finds that neither major party candidate enjoys any real popularity with the voters: "Amidst a campaign that has turned almost exclusively negative, both Corzine and Christie remain relatively unpopular with New Jersey voters. Christie is viewed unfavorably by 42 percent of voters and favorably by 35 percent for a net favorability rating of -7 points. Corzine's net favorability rating is nearly identical at -8 points, with 46 percent rating him unfavorably versus 38 percent rating him favorably."

Daggett's favorable-unfavorable rating is 15%-25%.

NJ-GOV

Poll: Corzine Leads Christie By 39%-36%

Eric Kleefeld | October 22, 2009, 9:08AM

Chris Christie (R) and Jon Corzine (D)

The new Rutgers-Eagleton poll of the New Jersey gubernatorial race gives Democratic Gov. Jon Corzine a three-point lead over his Republican opponent Chris Christie -- with a significant number of voters going for independent Chris Daggett.

The numbers: Corzine 39%, Christie 36%, and Daggett 20%, with a ±4% margin of error.

From the pollster's analysis: "Daggett continues to draw fairly evenly from both major party candidates. However, in a close race, it may make a difference that Daggett voters are people who would have been slightly more on Christie's side than on Corzine's in a two-way race. The underlying question is whether current Daggett supporters really will vote for him on Election Day, or whether they will opt for their second choice, one of the major party candidates."

NJ-GOV

Obama At Corzine Rally: Republicans 'Got A Lot of Nerve' To Complain About Their Own Mess

Eric Kleefeld | October 21, 2009, 6:59PM

President Obama just headlined a rally for Gov. Jon Corzine (D-NJ), and turned Republican nominee Chris Christie's attacks about the state's problems right back at the GOP.

"Now listening to Jon's opponent, you'd think New Jersey was the only state that's been swept up by the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression," said Obama, "which, by the way, didn't start under Jon Corzine's party's watch. There seems to be some selective memory about how we got into this fix."

Obama said the state's economic problems are part of the nation's overall crisis, which is in turn the product of lax regulation and trickle-down economics promoted by the GOP: "They got a lot of nerve -- they leave this big mess and suddenly they're complaining about how fast we're cleaning it up."

Obama urged New Jersey's voters to stick with Corzine, calling him an honorable man looking out for the state: "I hope what you want is someone who's gonna be straight with you, who's got your interests at heart, and is gonna be out there every single day fighting for you, because he loves public service and he understands if it weren't for folks who were out there fighting for him, he wouldn't be where he got to."