Alan Steinberg's blog

As in any transition, speculation is rampant as to whom Governor-elect Chris Christie will appoint as Chief of Staff, State Treasurer, and Attorney General.   His appointment to the position of Chief Counsel, however, will be equally as important.  Traditionally, in situations where the Governor and the Legislature are of different political parties, the Governor’s Chief Counsel is the person responsible for making divided government work.

Going into Election Year 2010, the outlook is hopeful for Republicans nationally.  The victories of Bob McDonnell and Chris Christie in Virginia and New Jersey respectively may well be a prelude to a sizable gain for Republicans in gubernatorial races nationally.  In the Senate races, Republicans will more than likely achieve a net gain at best of several seats.  In the House of Representatives, Republicans will be targeting those seats that traditionally had Republican representation but went Democratic for the first time in 2008.

Last Thursday, Lisa Jackson, Administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the appointment of my successor as Regional Administrator of Region 2 EPA, Judith Enck, who had been serving as Deputy Secretary of the Environment under New York Governors Eliot Spitzer and David Patterson.  Simultaneously, Lisa also announced the appointment of other Regional Administrators in Regions 1, 3, 6, and 9.

Within 24 hours after the election of Chris Christie as Governor, the battle was joined between the Governor-elect and the New Jersey Education Association (NJEA).  This could become the Ali-Frazier of New Jersey issue battles.

I must begin by congratulating the strategists, senior advisors, and management staff of the Christie campaign whom I often vigorously criticized during the campaign.  My criticisms were based on my honest judgment and analysis regarding the various trends in the polls and the key policy issues discussed in the campaign.  The main thing that matters in politics, however, is the ultimate outcome, and you deserve the credit for the victory of Governor-elect Chris Christie.

With one day left in the campaign, it is clear that Chris Christie has major momentum.  The election outcome will be determined by turnout.  In this regard, the key question will be:  How effective is each candidate’s GOTV (Get-Out-the-Vote)?

Almost exactly 48 years ago, November 2, 1961, five days before the 1961 New Jersey gubernatorial election, President John F. Kennedy spoke at a rally for Democrat gubernatorial candidate, former Superior Court Judge Richard J. Hughes at the Trenton War Memorial.  Hughes had been an underdog against Republican candidate James P. Mitchell, the highly regarded former Eisenhower administration Labor Secretary.

Movement conservatives have been upset with the campaign strategy of Chris Christie, his positions on energy issues, and his self-association with Barack Obama.  I also have written columns on this website critical of both the Republican candidate and his campaign.  In many ways, I have been more disappointed by Christie than any other Republican statewide candidate over the past two decades.

Aside from party loyalty, however, there is one issue that motivates me to continue to strongly support Chris Christie for Governor:  the appointment of justices to the New Jersey Supreme Court.  During the next four years, two New Jersey Supreme Court justices will reach the mandatory retirement age, and two others will be up for reappointment.  

This is the last election under the 2001 New Jersey legislative district reapportionment, which ultimately resulted in the transformation of the 22nd, 34th, and 38th Districts from Republican to safe Democrat.  Subsequent political campaign developments in this decade have resulted in the formerly Republican 3rd, 4th, and 36th districts becoming safe Democrat domains.  While the 12th District was a battleground district in the 2003 and 2005 elections, it is now safely under total Republican control.

While I have written extensively about the ineptitude of the Christie campaign, I have never wavered in my belief that Chris Christie is by far the best choice for Governor among the three leading candidates in the Tuesday, November 3, 2009 election.