Liberal Republican May Give Dems New Jersey Governorship

Jon Corzine, Governor of New Jersey ought to be a dead man walking.  He has presided over a miserable decline in the fortunes of New Jersey.  He has done nothing to stem the tide of corruption that plagues the state and was even involved in paying his union boss’ girlfriend millions of dollars to keep quiet.  He has tremendous negatives and even his Wall Street background is no longer a plus after the downturn.  Unemployment is up, as are taxes and the state has hemorrhaged jobs and population during Corzine’s administration.

Republican challenger Chris Christie a hard charging district attorney has been up in this race but Corzine’s massive spending advantage and Christie’s own charisma-challenged campaign have driven his numbers down.  The difference in this race however could well be the presence of a liberal Republican gone independent.

Chris Daggett, a pro-abortion, pro-gay marriage, pro-gun control, Sierra Club-endorsed former New Jersey EPA head, changed his affiliation from Republican to Independent to run for office in the very year the Republican nominee has a chance to take the top spot.  He was a deputy chief of staff for popular moderate Republican governor Tom Kean.  Corzine appointed him to an environmental post.  Daggett is now acting as a safety valve for the failed governorship of Jon Corzine.  A plurality of his voters say they would vote for Christie if he were not in the race.  He attracts exactly the kind of nominal Republican and independent vote that would turn to Christie on good government grounds were Daggett not in the race.  While Daggett’s campaign states he is polling at 17% , it is highly unlikely that the poll is accurate or will reflect real voting on election day.

Nonetheless, in a race that is now a dead heat, his voters will likely make the difference between failure and success for the Christie campaign.  This race is closer than it should be.  New Jersey’s demographic make-up, Christie’s campaign missteps, and even his physical appearance, are all dragging him down.  He does not need the added anchor of a country club Republican with no chance of victory siphoning off votes. It is common to complain about conservative insurgencies against left or moderate Republicans in the Northeast (or even Florida).  In New Jersey, it is the liberal Republican with no chance of victory, doing his best to ensure that a failed governor gets the State House for another four years.