Christine Whitman's blog

According to the latest survey from the Pew Research Center for People and the Press, the number of voters who identify nationally as Republicans has plummeted since 2001. This is a troubling sign for our party and something we must correct before the 2008 elections. The issues are too important and the consequences are too serious to allow the Democrats to continue defeating Republicans at the polls.

The latest criticism by social fundamentalist James Dobson of possible Republican candidate for president Fred Thompson should come as no surprise to anyone who has followed Dobson's uneven and contradictory political participation over the years.  After all, Dobson's method for selecting those whom he criticizes lost reason and legitimacy many years ago.  It's simply impossible to predict which mainstream American politician Dobson will unleash upon next for not toeing the social fundamentalist line.

These days I spend a lot of my time­ through the Republican Leadership Council and other pursuits ­ trying to get the Republican Party to be more tolerant of Republican candidates and voters who have different opinions on social issues.

My central credo is that the Republican Party is the party of less taxes and less government.  So long as a candidate or voter supports the concept of limited government, he or she is a Republican, regardless of his or her opinion on an issue like abortion.

One recent New Jersey development that has been particularly upsetting is the state’s growing callousness towards political leaders who take advantage of the public trust.

It's with mixed emotions that I think about the retirement of more than 1/3 of the State Senate's Republican caucus. I had the privilege and honor of working with each of the retiring Senators - Bark, Connors, Gormley, Kavanaugh, Littell, Martin and Palaia - during the years I served as governor. Each senator brought to his or her job an enduring dedication to their constituents and the job at hand.

Over the past week, political pundits across New Jersey have been mulling over the latest Quinnipiac Poll which shows Rudy Giuliani and John McCain in a position to win New Jersey's fifteen electoral votes. While it's certainly early to be thinking about New Jersey's role in the 2008 general election for president, these latest poll results tell us two important things. First, New Jersey is winnable for Republicans.