McCain picks up a blue collar endorsement in Linden

LINDEN -- To millions of non-residents who pass through New Jersey on the Turnpike, it's Linden and its environs that tend to leave the strongest impression. It's here that oil refineries and railroad tracks serve as the symbols of the stereotypical rough-around-the-edges Jersey town.

State Sen. Bill Baroni (R-Hamilton), who heads up John McCain's New Jersey presidential campaign, was trying to capture that blue collar aura as he trotted out Linden Mayor Richard Gerbounka, a long-time Democrat who turned independent in 2006, and four of the city's councilmen to endorse McCain for president.

The endorsement comes one day before McCain and his wife, Cindy, make a fundraising swing through New Jersey, which according to Baroni will include some as-yet undisclosed public campaign stops.

It's not that Linden, which has just shy of 40,000 people and voted for John Kerry over George W. Bush by a 2-1 margin in 2004, is strategically important to the campaign. Rather, it's the image of Gerbounka - a sort of micro-maverick; a Vietnam veteran whose blue collar roots as a police officer make him an appealing figure to the so-called Reagan Democrats - that Baroni thinks will give McCain a shot at carrying the state.

"This election is not about Democrats or Republicans. It's about electing the best man to lead us forward the next four years as the president of the United States. And the best man for that position is Senator John McCain," said Gerbounka. "And I know from personal experience that the Linden voters are intelligent and sophisticated. Because in 2006, I ran for the mayor of this great city as an independent against a 30-year Democratic incumbent, and the voters chose the man, not the party."

This was no political epiphany for Gerbounka. In 2000, although he was a Democrat, McCain was his preferred choice for president, and he supported George W. Bush when that didn't work out. In 2004, he said, he voted for Bush again.

Gerbounka demurred from endorsing local Republicans, however. He didn't make any endorsement in the 7th Congressional District race - which makes up a small part of the town, along with the 10th and 13th Districts - and stayed out of New Jersey's U.S. Senate race altogether.

Joining Gerbounka in front of Linden City Hall for the endorsement were four of the town's 11 council members: Joe Harvanik, Robert Frazier, Bruce How - all independents - and Jack Sheehy, a Democrat.

Baroni, while not getting specific, said that this was not an isolated incident - that there would be more independent and Democratic leaders throughout the state joining the McCain camp.

"You're going to see a lot more leaders like the members of the council and mayor who are coming out and saying in the end the presidency of the United States is beyond Republicans, Democrats or independents," said Baroni. "It's about who is going to be the best leader for our country."

Baroni used that optimism to deflect questions about poll numbers - which consistently show Democrat Barack Obama ahead of McCain by a high single-digit margin - and, as the Star-Ledger reported today, that Obama has raised more than twice as much money from New Jersey as McCain.

"Polls are notoriously, at this point in the campaign, not necessarily the most reliable. President Dukakis, for instance, would look back at the campaign at this point in 1988 and say polls aren't necessarily indicative," said Baroni. "From a fundraising perspective... it makes a lot of sense that both Sen. Clinton and Sen. Obama raised a lot more money in New Jersey. Their campaign was much more heated and lasted much longer."

Democratic leaders, however, scoffed at the endorsement. During a press conference led by U.S. Rep. Steve Rothman attacking McCain on energy, state Sen. Loretta Weinberg downplayed its significance, noting that Gerbounka was already an independent.

Cryan, for his part, blamed President Bush for the town's shrinking manufacturing base.

"This endorsement has as much value as the sinking U.S. Dollar under George Bush. Under the President, plant closings and job losses have mounted, causing the same economic damage at the local level that George Bush's policies have inflicted on the country," said Cryan. "John McCain deserves to lose Linden and I don't need political tea leaves to say that he will get what he deserves from the voters."