Christine Whitman

Republican candidates for Governor and United States Senator in New Jersey have hit the 50% mark just twice over the last four decades: Thomas Kean in 1985 and Clifford Case in 1972. Kean fell short of 50% in his narrow 1981 win, and Christine Todd Whitman failed to win 50% in her 1993 and 1997 victories.

Forrester Accepts Republican Majority for Choice Endorsement

Gubernatorial candidate Doug Forrester today accepted the endorsement of the Republican Majority for Choice (RMC), the largest choice advocacy group in the Republican Party.

Millionaire businesswoman Candy Straight's political influence extends beyond the borders of Essex County: she was a key fundraiser and advisor for Governor Christine Todd Whitman , as Vice Chairwoman of the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority, and as President of a national organization to raise money for pro-choice Republican women running for U.S. Senate and Congress, she has some impressive national connections. Straight spent heavily in her first bid for public office -- a 2002 race for Essex County Executive, which she lost to Democrat Joseph DiVincenzo, and is now running -- and spending -- again, this time for an Essex County Freeholder-At-Large seat. Straight has told close friends that if she loses the Freeholder race -- a contest that will be exceedingly difficult to win -- her future role in politics will not be as a candidate for public office, but rather as a citizen activist advocating reduced county government, the right of towns to secede from Essex, and opposition to the Newark arena. One insider says that if Doug Forrester wins the race for Governor, Straight would almost surely wind up in his administration.