With the entrance of Chris Christie into the Republican gubernatorial primary, the GOP has greatly enhanced its chances of capturing the governor's mansion. While Christie certainly will be a strong candidate, the fact that he faces another prominent Republican in Steve Lonegan means that a significant amount of media attention will be focused on the Republican primary, while the Democratic candidate, in all likelihood the incumbent Governor Corzine, will be attending to state business. Unfortunately, in this economic climate attending to state business means that Governor Corzine will be cutting budgets rather than cutting ribbons.

Conventional wisdom generally holds that a any primary pitting the state's two most recognizable candidates against one another is a recipe for disaster, especially when facing a well-financed incumbent. However, I believe conventional wisdom is wrong in this case. In an off-year election cycle like New Jersey's, the media's attention will be focused on the gubernatorial primary, especially the "horse-race" elements, and will provide the candidates in the primary an unprecedented degree of media coverage.  The result will be a significant boost in their name recognition among voters. 

This was the situation that Democrats faced in 1997 when Jim McGreevey, Mike Murphy and Rob Andrews squared off against one another. Christie Whitman, the incumbent, waited in the wings and received little attention. (Governors performing their normal duties are usually not very newsworthy.) The Democratic race that year was the big news story, and it received the lion's share of media attention. As a result, the event winner of the primary, Jim McGreevey, nearly pulled off an upset against Whitman.

It’s all about the Governor’s economic stimulus plan on NJN this weekend.

On Sunday at 9a.m. and 11a.m., watch On the Record with New Jersey Policy Perspective President Jon Shure, Center for Policy Research of NJ President Gregg Edwards, Democratic analyst Mike Murphy and Ramapo College Finance Professor/former U.S. Senate candidate Murray Sabrin discuss Corzine’s plan.  The show is hosted by Michael Aron and will air again on Monday at 6:30 a.m. 

Tonight at 7:00 and Sunday at 10:00a.m., catch Reporters Roundtable, hosted by Michael Aron and featuring Bergen Record columnist Charles Stile, Gannett’s Greg Volpe and yours truly,  Matt Friedman.  We'll discuss the Corzine economic plan, the Republican sales tax cut proposal and commercials from the U.S. Senate and Congressional races.

Lobbyist Michael Murphy is wearing two hats these days. One Murphy is working as campaign chairman and paid spokesman for Rob Andrews’ campaign for the United States Senate, while the other Murphy is appearing on News 12 this weekend as a supporter of Barack Obama’s presidential campaign. And the former Morris County Prosecutor and ’97 gubernatorial candidates boss, Andrews, is backing Hillary Clinton. (Of course, Andrews’ boss, South Jersey Democratic leader George Norcross, has endorsed Obama) And further complicating matters: the guy interviewing Murphy the Obama man is lobbyist Jim McQueeny, a member of Frank Lautenberg’s circle of friends.