Christie on Obama visit, budget poll numbers and Albin confirmation

HAMILTON -- Republican gubernatorial nominee Chris Christie said he doesn’t know for sure whether any of President Obama’s luster will rub off on embattled Gov. Jon Corzine when he visits in support of him later this month, but he doubts it. 

“I firmly do believe that it’s not a race about President Obama. I think it’s a race about Jon Corzine and his record, and me and my vision for what the future would be,” said Christie.  “I don’t think New Jerseyans are going to decide how to vote based upon who comes and visits.”

Obama, who remains popular in New Jersey, is set to campiagn with Corzine on July 16 at Rutgers University.   

PolitickerNJ.com serendipitously ran into Christie at Panera Bread on Route 130 in Hamilton, where he was lunching with his security consultant, former State Police Major Al DelVento, in between campaign stops in Trenton and Hamilton. 

In a three minute interview, Christie answered two other questions before hitting the Turnpike: one on state Supreme Court Justice Barry Albin’s confirmation to tenure until mandatory retirement at age 70, and one on a poll that showed public support for Governor Corzine’s budget. 

Albin’s renomination was supposed to be a political flashpoint for Republicans, who wanted to hold him up as the poster boy of an “activist” court.  It didn’t exactly turn out that way, however, and Albin was given tenure on the court after contending with toned down – if not complacent – opposition.  Even some key Republicans like state Sen. Christopher “Kip” Bateman (R-Branchburg) and Senate Minority Leader Tom Kean, Jr. ultimately voted to confirm him. 

“He wouldn’t have been my choice, but he’s confirmed now.  He’s got lifetime tenure,” said Christie.  “So I hope he continues to be a productive member of the court, but he wouldn’t have been the kind of judge I would have picked.”

When asked if he would have reappointed Albin if he was governor, Christie dismissed the question as “speculative.” 

On the budget, a Fairleigh Dickinson University PublicMind poll released yesterday showed 56% of respondents backing elimination of property tax rebates for everyone but families making under $75,000, seniors and the disabled, while 66% favored new taxes on liquor and wine to balance the state budget. That isn’t welcome news for Christie, who has often hit Gov. Corzine for promising increased rebates in 2005 but cutting them today.   

Christie, however, said “I believe what I believe.” 

“I don’t craft my positions according to the polls.  So I guess we’ll see whether the automated FDU poll was right, or whether it’s the sense I get from talking to people is that they’re not happy with what the governor has done from a budgetary perspective over the course of four years, or from a tax perspective,” said Christie (the FDU poll was conducted by live operators using a computer assisted telephone interviewing system).