O'Toole: 'Chris's job was to survive'

While Democrats struggled to find good news in Quinnipiac University poll numbers that still show Gov. Jon Corzine trailing GOP challenger Chris Christie, 37-47%, state Sen. Kevin O'Toole (R-Cedar Grove) said the rival majority party simply can't spin their way out of the incumbent's campaign troubles.

"They can't be happy," said O'Toole. "He's still hanging ten points back and you've got Obama's national numbers simultaneously sinking and independents fearful of nationalized healthcare. It's not a good trend.

"Consider this," O'Toole added. "Chris has had two hands tied behind his back because he doesn't have the money Corzine has had to spend on advertising. Chris's job was to survive and be ready to come out fighting a few points behind Corzine come Labor Day. Here he is, ten points up and he's just now starting to get his message out. If you ask me he's weathered a storm."

As Democrats repeatedly point out, the Republican Gubernatorial Association has spent money on Christie to keep his image out there through the summer weeks that Corzine has flailed at his GOP opponent, but Corzine has maintained a 10-1 spending edge on the Christie campaign.

While O'Toole said the poll numbers from this morning underscore the dread people feel in a bad economy, Corzine, who ran in 2005 as a Wall Street wiz, can't escape the more telling numbers.

"He ran as Superman in a red cape, and now unemployment has doubled to 9.3% since he became governor and it's in the high teens in the urban areas," said O'Toole.