Mitt Romney

DENVER - It had to have been tough for state Sen. Joseph Kyrillos (R-Monmouth) to get the news that Gov. Sarah Palin would be the running mate of presumptive Republican presidential nominee Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz)..

It was Kyrillos, after all, who served as the point man for Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney’s presidential campaign in New Jersey, and the veteran state senator had hoped McCain would select Romney for vice president.

He has to learn more about Palin.

"Those of us who got to know Mitt - and there were many of us who got to know him - are obviously disappointed," said Kyrillos. "But it’s a very personal pick for Sen. McCain, and I’m looking forward to learning more about her and supporting the ticket."

Sen. Joseph Kyrillos (R-Monmouth): Politicker photo 

As they find themselves once again among the general election ranks of their respective parties, two state senators in opposing camps still hope their first picks for president end up as running mates for Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) and Sen. Barack Obama (D-Il).

Sen. Joseph Kyrillos (R-Monmouth), former state chairman for the Romney campaign, believes Romney would be McCain’s best choice for vice president. Sen. Ronald Rice (D-Essex), meanwhile, hopes Obama picks Rice’s primary candidate, Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY).

"Hillary needs to be a match on that ticket to keep some perspective," said Rice. "We’re talking about 18 million votes for her, plus your Obama votes. That team could really keep people coming out in a general election. I feel he needs to identify a vice president, and it should be Hillary."

Sen. Joseph Kyrillos (R-Monmouth), left, confers with Sierra Club Director Jeff Tittell after economic growth hearing.

TRENTON - State Sen. Joseph Kyrillos (R-Monmouth), who served as director of Mitt Romney's presidential campaign, says the former Massachusetts governor would be a good pick as Sen. John McCain's running mate.

During the Republican primary, Romney and McCain disagreed on the Bush administration's policy regarding torture. On at least one occasion, the Arizona senator upbraided Romney for what he believed was his GOP rival's naivete in not taking a firmer stand against some methods employed by U.S. military and intelligence forces.

Huckabee spokesman Peter KaneFormer Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee's Super Tuesday performance sparked his supporters here in New Jersey, including State Campaign Director Peter Kane, who also couldn't resist taking a shot at the GOP field's favorite target, former Mass. Gov. Mitt Romney.

"They said we had a second tier candidate," Kane said in a statement. "They said the Iowa win was a fluke. They said we were just in it to be a spoiler. They said we should just get out of the race now. They said we had limited appeal to a narrow slice of the electorate."

Huckabee picked up victories in his homestate of Arkansas, in Georgia, Alabama and West Virginia, and was competing in at least two more states Wednesday morning.

"With wins in several states, throughout this country and the delegate count
rising steadily maybe this has finally become a two person race," said Kane. "And maybe, it is time for Gov. Romney to bow out gracefully and leave the battle to the one true, sincere conservative in this race: Mike Huckabee."

Two final New Jersey polls show Democrat Hillary Clinton and Republican John McCain with leads in their respective fields.

A Reuters/C-SPAN/Zogby poll shows Clinton leading Barack Obama 46%-41%. A Strategic Vision poll shows Clinton leading Obama 47%-41%.

The Reuters/C-SPAN/Zogby poll shows McCain with 53%, Mitt Romney with 24%, and Mike Huckabee with 5%. The Strategic Vision poll shows McCain with 55%, Romney with 25%, and Huckabee with 10%.

The Newark Star-Ledger endorsed Barack Obama and John McCain in its Sunday edition.

A new Quinnipiac poll has Hillary Clinton leading Barack Obama, 48%-43%: Getty Images Photo
Hillary Clinton's lead in New Jersey has shrunk to just five points and leads Barack Obama 48%-43% among likely Democratic primary voters, according to a new Quinnipiac University poll released this morning. On the Republican side, John McCain leads Mitt Romney 52%-30%.

"Sen. Obama has put together a coalition of blacks and independents to dramatically narrow the gap in just the last few days in New Jersey, but the big question remains: Will there be enough of these new, young, first time voters showing up to pull a surprise on Super Tuesday?" said Clay F. Richards, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute.

The Quinnipiac poll mirrors one conducted at the end of last week by Democratic pollster Stanley Greenberg for George Norcross that showed Clinton ahead by six points. Clinton had a 17-point lead in a January 23 Quinnipiac poll, and had been ahead by as much as 34 points late last year.

Two more polls out Sunday show Senator John McCain with wide leads in New Jersey.

A Reuters/CSPAN/Zogby poll shows McCain at 54% former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney at 23%.

And a survey by McClatchy and MSNBC show McCain with 46%, Romney with 31%, and former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee with 5%.

The McClatchy/MNSBC poll also shows Senator Hiillary Clinton leading Senator Barack Obama in the Democratic race 46%-39%.

A Monmouth University/Gannett New Jersey poll of likely Democratic primary voters has Hillary Clinton leading Barack Obama 50%-34% in New Jersey’s February 5 Democratic presidential primary. Among likely GOP voters, John McCain has a 55%-23% lead over Mitt Romney, with 7% for Mike Huckabee and 3% for Ron Paul.

New Jersey Right to Life endorsed Mike Huckabee, saying that Ron Paul's libertarian views conflic with his pro-life stand: Getty Images Photo
New Jersey Right to Life has endorsed Mike Huckabee for the GOP presidential nomination, saying that the former Governor of Arkansas supports passage of a constitutional amendment to protect the right to life, and believes that Roe v. Wade should be overturned.