Corzine doesn't think McCain/Lieberman ticket would make a dent in New Jersey

TRENTON -- While some local Republicans think that Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-D, Conn.) could be the John McCain running mate who could appeal to Jewish voters who traditionally go for Democrats and potentially put this state into play, Gov. Jon Corzine said today that the selection would have minimal – if any – impact. 

“I think people elect presidents, not vice-presidents.  At the margin it might take a double-digit victory for Sen. Obama down into the high single digits,” said Corzine.

But Corzine said he wasn’t even sure it would go that far, since a Lieberman selection could cause the party’s most right wing voters to sit the election out.

“I don’t think it has a sort of game changing context to New Jersey, and I suspect it might very well be offset by what Sen. Lieberman would cost with some of the people who have strong views with regard to choice and the hard right elements of the Republican Party,” he said.  “ I’m not even certain that I’m right that it would move him from what I’d think would be a double digit victory to high single.”

On the Democrats’ Vice Presidential selection, Corzine repeated what he said earlier this week: that Biden would be the strongest of the current crop of likely contenders, although he thinks Clinton would be the absolute best. 

“Biden is the person I would pick given that it gives great credence to the ticket with regard to national strategic and policy issues, and it allows for Sen. Obama to give full focus on the economy, which is number one, two and three on the voters’ minds,” he said.