MORRISTOWN, N.J. – Six months ago, President Barack Obama won New Jersey by 15 percentage points over Republican Sen. John McCain, but Democratic incumbent Jon Corzine is considered so vulnerable that national Democratic groups are spending millions on television ads to influence the outcome of the state’s GOP primary June 2.
A series of polls has shown Corzine trailing Republican Chris Christie, a former U.S. attorney. Corzine, who made millions as a Wall Street executive and was a U.S. senator, is coping with record-low approval ratings as he struggles to close a multibillion-dollar budget deficit.
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As a prosecutor, Christie won praise for cracking down on corruption and for successfully prosecuting two major terrorism cases. He says he’s convicted 130 politicians and public employees.
But he first must thwart a feisty challenge from Steve Lonegan, a former mayor of Bogota, which is about 15 miles north of Newark. Lonegan is a conservative with a following among many right-leaning GOP primary voters. A recent Quinnipiac University poll put Christie ahead of Lonegan by 23 points, but several strategists believe the race is much closer. Enter the Democratic Governors Association, which teamed with allied groups this past week on a $1 million ad campaign contending Christie is not exactly the ethical champion he claims to be.
At issue are out-of-court settlements Christie brokered with companies suspected of white-collar crime, and lucrative no-bid contracts he awarded to prominent lawyers to monitor the settlements. The lawyers included former U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft, who received a $27 million contract, and David Kelley, a federal prosecutor who two years ago declined to prosecute Christie’s brother for stock fraud.
The DGA media campaign hits Christie on the contracts and notes that he’s been asked to appear before a U.S. House Judiciary subcommittee next month to discuss the matter.
“Congressional investigators want answers from Chris Christie,” the DGA ad says.
In an interview, Christie said the association’s involvement means it “must be pretty scared of me.”
He added, “I think it should tell our Republican Party, not only should you vote for me because of the principles I’ve expounded and the record I’ve created … I’m the guy the Democrats nationally fear most.”
In Virginia, Democratic Gov. Tim Kaine, who also is the current chairman of the Democratic National Committee, must step down after one term under state law.
Bob McDonnell, the popular state attorney general, has a hefty bank account and a clear path to the GOP nomination. Polls show him leading all three of his potential Democratic rivals, who are competing in an increasingly fierce June 9 primary. They are former state House Democratic Caucus leader Brian Moran; state Sen. Creigh Deeds; and Terry McAuliffe, the former DNC chairman who counts Bill and Hillary Rodham Clinton as close friends.
