Sweeney v. Doherty on the governor's race

Forty-six days until election day, state Senate Majority Leader Steve Sweeney (D-West Deptford) and state Senate candidate Assemblyman Michael Doherty (R-Washington Twp.) are dug in with their respective gubernatorial candidates. Doherty attended a Warren County Christie campaign headquarters the other night, and Sweeney welcomes Gov. Jon Corzine to South Jersey on Tuesday.

"This race is the economy," said Doherty, a supporter of Republican challenger Chris Christie, and a heavy favorite to win his general election contest on Nov. 3rd.

"The people of New Jersey are going to decide whether they are better off now than four years ago," argued Doherty. "This is a governor who sold himself as a businessman who was going to work to improve the business climate. He has failed utterly in that regard. If you could pick a spot anywhere in the world to have thriving economy, you'd say this is pretty good spot. We have ports, we're right between Philadelphia and New York, in an area that should be great for jobs, with tremendous resources. But the economy here is lagging so far behind neighboring states, it's embarrassing - and painful."

Although he has in the days since Labor Day made more headlines as an intra-party challenger to Senate President Richard Codey (D-Roseland) than as a gubernatorial race go-to-guy, Sweeney played breakfast host to Corzine a week ago, and this coming week will again welcome the governor to Paulsboro. 

"I think Jon Corzine will win South Jersey," said Sweeney. "He's running a better campaign than the Corzine camp. It's very aggressive and there a lot of soldiers heavily working and canvassing our voters. By no means am I saying they're enamored with Jon Corzine, but voters know what this governor has done."

Sweeney said Christie routinely avoids talking about specific measures he would implement as governor. 

"I think Chris's campaign has been characterized by evasiveness and a refusal to say what he's going to do," said the majority leader. "He won't tell you how he's going to cut taxes. People want to see his plan and all he's saying is he will do all this by growing the economy. How, Chris? How?"

Doherty said he's heard Christie lay out a plan to rein in regulatory agencies like the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP).

"The regulatory burden that has been allowed to expand not only under McGreevey but under Corzine, has damaged business," said Doherty. "Business people want consistency and predictability. This country was made by industrious people taking the bull by the horns and getting things done, but our bureaucracies are hindering that - thanks to this governor."

Hitting back, Sweeney said the storyline Christie usually highlights about New Jersey residents fleeing the state because of high property taxes and no work doesn't resonate in his South Jersey district.

"A lot of people have moved here from Pennsylvania and Delaware," said Sweeney. "Chris talks about everyone fleeing the state, but we've grown - we have the fastest growing county in the State of New Jersey. People can get a house here for $400,000 that would be $700,000 on the other side of the river. They're willing to pay higher taxes because their homes have more value."

Doherty maintains that residents in his Warren-Hunterdon district and beyond along the Delaware see first hand the benefits of stronger leadership on the other side of the river. 

"Jon Corzine has such high negatives, you see in poll after poll that it looks like the voters are going to give Chris Christie the chance to be the next governor," said Doherty. "They've seen (Pennsylvania Gov. Ed) Rendell take Jon Corzine's lunch money away from him, and that will resonate well with the border towns of New Jersey, from north to south Jersey."

Sweeney concedes the political climate is not good for an incumbent. Moreover, he and Corzine have not lined up on issues impacting gay marriage, for example, and public sector employees.

"We differ on many issues," said Sweeney, who when asked named what he believes are the governor's top three accomplishments. "He delivered on education funding reform, everyone has fought ever since Abbott to do that but his formula won approval and withstood a court challenge," Sweeney said. "He's not raiding the unemployment fund anymore - a big thing symbolically given the history, and third, he's expanded healthcare. There are 150,000 more people on healthcare because of Corzine's record. In a bad economy, he's done good things."

But Doherty said the polls show a different endgame.

As a staunch ally of Christie's GOP Primary opponent, Steve Lonegan, the state senate candidate said the ranks have closed enthusiastically behind the party's nominee. He knows the state's demographics work against Republicans, but sees a strong gubernatorial candidate in Christie.

"All Republicans are unified behind our best chance to win a statewide race in over a decade - people know this this may be our best shot," Doherty said.