There are now two Democrats who say they will challenge Jon Corzine in the Democratic gubernatorial primary in June: former Glen Ridge Mayor Carl Bergmanson and Perth Amboy Councilman Ken Balut.  So far, neither seems to pose a real threat to the incumbent, who despite struggling approval numbers still has a 66%-24% job approval rating among Democrats.  Bergmanson and Balut have not raised money or announced any endorsements. 

For Balut, it will be interesting to see if he can secure the backing of his chief political ally, Perth Amboy Mayor Wilda Diaz.

Former Gov. Jim Florio and former Acting Gov. John Bennett listen to Gov. Jon Corzine's State of the State address.

Just one of New Jersey's five living former Governors, Jim Florio, attended Jon Corzine's State of the State address today.  Richard Codey, who served as Acting Governor for 84 hours in 2002, and again from November 2004 to January 2006, was there in his capacity as Senate President, as was Donald DiFrancesco, who was Acting Governor from January 2001 to January 2002. 

Also there, as is his custom, was former Co-Senate President John Bennett, who was also Acting Governor for 84 hours in 2002.  The definitive historical analysis of Bennett's administration was written by the New York Times' David Kocieniewski a few days after his governorship ended and remains a must-read:

Robert Mulcahy, fired yesterday as the Director of Athletics at Rutgers University, was talked about as a potential Democratic candidate for Governor in 1981.

The often controversial 45-year political career of Robert Mulcahy appears to be over following his termination yesterday as the Rutgers University Athletic Director.

Mulcahy entered politics at age 28, when he ran for Mendham Councilman about a year after moving to the township.  Boosted by President Lyndon B. Johnson's coattails, Mulcahy scored a rare victory for Democrats in heavily Republican Morris County.   He became Mayor in 1970.

In 1973, Mulcahy backed Morris County Assemblywoman Ann Klein in her bid for the Democratic nomination for Governor.  She finished second behind Brendan Byrne, who put Klein in his cabinet as Commissioner of Institutions and Agencies.  Klein brought Mulcahy to Trenton with her as Deputy Commissioner, where he immediately became a strong Byrne ally and advisor.  He spent most of his time as Byrne's unofficial troubleshooter.

On this final weekend before the election, NJN’s On the Record will feature a discussion of the U.S. Senate debate with Republican political analyst Roger Bodman, former Governor Jim Florio, Montclair State Political Science Professor Brigid Harrison and Monmouth University professor/pollster Patrick Murray.

That show, hosted by Michael Aron, will air Sunday at 9 and 11a.m., and again on Monday at 6:30a.m

On Reporter’s Roundtable, Aron will host Jonathan Tamari of the Philadelphia Inquirer, Charles Stile of the Bergen Record, Kevin McArdle of Millennium Radio and Matt Friedman of PolitickerNJ.com.  The reporters will discuss the U.S. Senate and Congressional races.  It airs today at 7p.m. and Sunday at 10a.m.

John McCain's New Jersey campaign held a news conference today to announce the endorsements of  "current and former New Jersey Democratic officials," but with disappointing results: George Fallon, a former Mayor of Waterford; Joan Haberle, who served as New Jersey Secretary of State during the first half of Jim Florio's governorship; and Dawn Rafferty, the former Executive Director of the New Jersey Real Estate Commission under Governors James E. McGreevey and Richard Codey.  Rafferty is Haberle's daughter.

Bribery and money laundering may be illegal for almost everyone else, but not for politicians. They call it "pay-to-play" and "wheeling." The party in power almost always benefits from these structural advantages, so politicians love to rail against corruption when they're powerless to do anything about it, but then sit on their hands and make excuses when they could actually change the system.

When Gov. Jim Florio proposed an ethics reform package in 1992 -- partly to fulfill the campaign promises he had made three years earlier -- Republican leaders who controlled both the Assembly and Senate criticized him, saying the plan was politically-motivated. Sound familiar?

During a decade of state-wide Republican control, pay-to-play and wheeling continued as Republicans easily out-raised Democrats. That is, until Jon Corzine ran for Senate (and later governor) and Democrats regained a majority in the legislature. Suddenly, fixing this broken and corrupt system became a top GOP priority and popular campaign refrain.

With the tables turned, Republicans introduced a series of reform measures in 2006 which Assembly Majority Leader Bonnie Watson Coleman called a "warmed-over stew of existing legislative measures." Yes it was, but the stew had gotten pretty cold in the hands of Democrats.

New Jersey Republicans have nine non-incumbent candidates for Congress in 2008, the most since 1976 when the state's House delegation had a 12-3 Democratic majority.  For the last decade, New Jersey Democrats have held a 7-6 majority in the House.

Here's a brief history of the party turnover of New Jersey House seats:

Rob Andrews vs. Rob Andrews

18 years in Washington have separated
Rob Andrews not only from the truth,
but from his own memory

BARRINGTON – U.S. Rep. Rob Andrews, a 9-term congressman who has spent the past 18 years as part of the problem in Washington rather than the solution, has been irreversibly corrupted by his time inside the Beltway.

Rob Andrews, candidate for Congress in 1990:

Mr. Andrews, a lawyer who is a summa cum laude graduate of Bucknell and a magna cum laude graduate of Cornell Law School, says, "The first responsibility of a candidate is to tell the truth."
(“Anti-Florio Fever Is Giving A Headache to a Democrat,” The New York Times, October 27, 1990)

Rob Andrews, after 18 years in Washington:

“Rob Andrews lied. Plain and simple.”
(“Editorial: Andrews' Reentry; A bare-faced liar,” The Philadelphia Inquirer, September 5, 2008)

“Plain and simple, Andrews hedged his bets and lied to the public.”
(“Rob Andrews lied to South Jersey voters,” The Courier-Post, September 5, 2008)

Back in 1990, when Rob Andrews was “running scared” after his predecessor and political mentor, Jim Florio, lied to the people of New Jersey and went back on his word not to raise taxes, this is what he had to say:

“Jim Florio doesn't have a tax problem; he has a credibility problem,” concedes Mr. Andrews, who is perceived as Mr. Florio's hand-picked successor. “Jim Florio in the First District was thought of as somebody different, somebody you could trust. Now, the thought is, we got duped.”
(“Anti-Florio Fever Is Giving A Headache to a Democrat,” The New York Times, October 27, 1990)

Many voters feel the same way now about Rob Andrews. They thought he was somebody different, somebody they could trust. They “got duped” again. Rob Andrews, just like Jim Florio before him, has a credibility problem. Just like Jim Florio in 1993, Rob Andrews needs to be sent home on November 4.

Jon Corzine might need to fight to win a second term as Governor in America's most Democratic state, but today's Quinnipiac University poll offers no indication that he could lose a Democratic primary.  Among Democrats, Corzine has a 67%-21% favorable rating, and a 60%-31% job approval rating. (That's not much different from U.S. Senator Frank Lautenberg, who won 60% of the vote against a credible primary challenger; Lautenberg has a 64%-10% favorable rating and a 65%-16% job approval rating among Democratic voter).   Democrats, by a 60%-25% margin, say he deserves to win re-election.

U.S. Rep. Bill Pascrell says he'd be interested in running for Governor if Jon Corzine doesn't, but his attitude toward fellow Congressman Rob Andrews could hurt his chances to assemble a statewide coalition.  New Jersey's House delegation united behind Frank Lautenberg in the Democratic U.S. Senate primary, and of the group, Pascrell has been the toughest on Andrews, who announced last week that he would seek re-election to the House.  Pascrell has good relations with South Jersey Democrats, who remember that he bucked the establishment eight years ago and backed Jim Florio against Corzine in the U.S. Senate primary. But if South Jersey Democrats are, as some say, not exactly thrilled with Andrews' sudden return, maybe the digs won't hurt Pascrell at all.