Christopher Christie

Gov. Jon Corzine has raised $24.1 million and spent $23.6 million on the general election campaign so far, according to 11-day pre-election reports filed with the Election Law Enforcement Commission. 

Of Corzine's total raised, $22.6 million is from his own pocket.

Republican gubernatorial Christopher Christie has maxed out on matching funds, raising a total of $11.7 million and spending $8.8 million, while independent Christopher Daggett has raised $1.3 million and spent $1.2 million. 

Christie has the most cash on hand, at $3.6 million.  That sum will not grow, however, since Christie is bound by a cap on campaign funds that Corzine, who does not participate in the public financing program, is not.  Daggett has $292,495 on hand and Corzine has $412,410.

The totals do not include heavy spending by outside groups or money raised or spent by the candidates after October 20.

Pollster Patrick Murray says that the turnout model on a Suffolk University poll released this morning is based on a 93% turnout in a race where less than half of the state's registered voters will turn out.  The poll, which included all twelve candidates for governor, has Gov. Jon Corzine leading Republican Christopher Christie 42%-33% among likely voters, with 7% for independent Christopher Daggett.

The full text of Murray's statement:

The New York Post has endorsed Republican Christopher Christie for Governor, saying that taxes and spending grew under Gov. Jon Corzine.  Christie, the editorial said "stands the best chance of reversing Jersey's global reputation for political sleaze. As a federal prosecutor, he won convictions against more than 130 public officials on corruption charges -- never losing a single case."

Independent Christopher Daggett, the newspaper said, would "cut property taxes only by hiking other taxes and tolls."

The Press of Atlantic City, which supported Democrat Jon Corzine when he ran for governor four years ago, has endorsed Republican Christopher Christie. 

"Chris Christie earned his reputation as an effective and energetic corruption-buster. We believe he would make an effective governor as well - one who would bring some fiscal sanity to state government, one who would set a no-nonsense tone in Trenton, and who would protect and nurture Atlantic City's economic health in these precarious times," the editorial said.  "We endorsed Corzine during the last race, but his term has been a disappointment. He has been less than effective in dealing with the Legislature. He has strived, too weakly at times, for fiscal prudence - putting more money into pension accounts during his first two years than other governors, trying to lower state debt, trying to match spending with recurring revenues. But those attempts ultimately buckled under the weight of the state's fiscal problems, compounded by the recession.

The Record's endorsement of a second term for the governor marks the first time Jon Corzine has won the support of the North Jersey newspaper.  The Record endorsed Bob Franks for U.S. Senate in 2000 and Douglas Forrester for Governor in 2005.

The Press of Atlantic City, which endorsed Corzine four years ago, today endorsed Christie.

The Asbury Park Press and the Courier-Post, which both endorsed Christie today, have never supported Corzine:  Both backed Franks and Forrester.  The Trenton Times endorsement of Corzine was the governor's third: the newspaper supported him for U.S. Senate in 2000 and for Governor in 2005.

Corzine has also been endorsed by the New York Times and the Philadelphia Inquirer.  Republican Christopher Christie has won endorsements from the Courier-News and the Home News Tribune.

The Star-Ledger went with independent Christopher Daggett.

Still no endorsements from: the Daily Record, the Jersey Journal, the Gloucester County Times, the Express-Times, the Trentonian, the New York Daily News, and the New York Post.

Corzine's newspaper endorsement record:

The Asbury Park Press today endorsed Republican Christopher Christie, the former United States Attorney, for Governor. 

"We we believe he will work diligently to contain government spending at all levels of government. We believe he will work aggressively to bring public employee salaries and benefits under control. We believe he will take the steps necessary to make New Jersey attractive to businesses again and set the stage for the creation of private-sector jobs. And we are confident he will continue to fight political corruption as vigorously as governor as he did as U.S. Attorney," the editorial said.

The APP says that Gov. Jon "Corzine has done nothing to warrant re-election. In many areas he has left the state in worse shape than when he found it." 

"Independent Chris Daggett, who has become the darling of the disaffected, is not a viable alternative," the APP wrote.  "Despite his delusional claims, he has no chance of winning. A vote for him is, in essence, a vote for Corzine."

Only five daily newspapers have endorsed a candidate for governor so far, which means Sunday is potentially a big endorsement day.  Democrat Jon Corzine has been endorsed by the New York Times and the Philadelphia Inquirer, Republican Christopher Christie won the endorsement of the Home News Tribune and the Courier News, and the Star-Ledger is backing independent Christopher Daggett.

As endorsements go, the three to watch are The Record, the Asbury Park Press, and the Press of Atlantic City. 

So far, Corzine was endorsed by two newspapers that backed him in 2005, while Christie's endorsements came from newspapers that supported Republican Douglas Forrester.  The Star-Ledger endorsed Forrester four years ago.

Corzine's newspaper endorsement record:

Jon Corzine and Joe Ferriero

GOP Lt. Gov. candidate Kim Guadagno says that Gov. Jon Corzine's attempt to disassociate himself with now-convicted ex-Bergen County Democratic Chairman Joseph Ferriero is a joke.

"Try as he might, Jon Corzine can't hide the fact that he and his family gave $441,600 to Joe Ferriero and his Bergen County Democratic Organization," said Guadagno, the Monmouth County Sheriff and a former federal prosecutor.  "Not only did he fuel the activities of a corrupt organization, Governor Corzine failed to take a tough stance when Ferriero was indicted.   For Jon Corzine to imply that his considerable and consistent contributions to Ferriero's political operation were simply to elect federal candidates is laughable and isn't fooling anyone."

Ferriero and Corzine were close political allies, although the disagreed from time to time.  Corzine backed his current running mate, Loretta Weinberg, for a State Senate seat in 2005, despite Ferriero's strong support for another candidate.  And Ferriero played a role in a lawsuit that sought to overturn Corzine's pay to play ban that hampered fundraising for the Bergen County Democratic Organization.

But Ferriero also endorsed Corzine when he ran against Jim Florio in the 2000 Democratic U.S. Senate primary, and his support for Corzine in the 2005 gubernatorial race was a pivotal moment in then-Acting Gov. Richard Codey's decision not to seek the Democratic nomination.

Ferriero also held a lucrative position at a state authority whose commissioners are appointed by the Governor: he was the general counsel to the Passaic Valley Sewerage Commission.  In 2007, Weinberg said Ferriero had made about $4.5 million in legal fees from that post.

An Eagleton-Rutgers poll shows the state's $400 million bond referendum in a statistical dead heat among likely voters, with 43% opposed to passage and 41% prepared to vote yes.  These numbers are substantially different from a Monmouth University/Gannett poll released earlier this week showing support for the ballot initiative at 55%-32%.

"It is rare to see such significant differences in two polls taken at nearly the same time," said David Redlawsk, director of the Rutgers-Eagleton Poll.  In this case, however, the difference is in the way the question was asked. When voters are cued to the idea that a bond issue means borrowing money they are far less supportive than when simply told that bonds will be issued."

The Eagleton question: "Voters will decide whether New Jersey should borrow $400 million to preserve open space, farmland, and historic areas. Do you plan to vote for or against borrowing this money?" Other polls have asked voters simply if they support "bonding" for open space without specifying that bonding means borrowing money."

"There is no right or wrong way to ask this question," said Redlawsk. "Voters are clearly very sensitive to the idea of borrowing money in a recession. At the same time, New Jersey voters have generally been supportive efforts to protect open space. Placed against each other, these differing results show that the outcome will depend on how voters view the question when they enter the voting booth."

Voters in major urban areas support the bond issue, 48%-35%, while South Jersey and shore area voters oppose it 51%-35%.  Suburban and rural voters are split, 42%-40%.

"Perhaps not surprisingly, those who live in the most densely populated parts of the state are generally in favor of this referendum, while those in the least populated areas are clearly opposed, at least when they are reminded that bond issues require borrowing money," said Redlawsk.

A WABC-TV poll conducted by SurveyUSA has the race for Governor in a statistical dead heat among likely voters: Republican Christopher Christie leads Gov. Jon Corzine 41%-39%.  Christopher Daggett, one of ten independent candidates, is at 19%.

Last week, SurveyUSA had Christie ahead 40%-39%, with Daggett at 14%.

“SurveyUSA's tracking graphs are flat. Corzine has not polled more than 40% nor less than 39%. Christie has not polled more than 43% nor less than 40%. Of likely 2009 voters who voted for Corzine in 2005, just 60% stick with him today. 18% of 2005 Corzine voters today cross over to Republican Christie; 21% vote for the Independent,” SurveyUSA said in their poll analysis.

Christie leads 40%-38%-20% in North Jersey, 46%-40%-13% in Central Jersey, and 38%-38%-22% in South Jersey.