Roger Bacon

Libertarian gubernatorial candidate Kenneth Kaplan

Roger Bacon, who received 11,908 votes in his challenge to Gov. Jon Corzine in the June Democratic primary, has endorsed Libertarian Kenneth Kaplan for Governor.

"As a lifelong resident of New Jersey who is frustrated with the entrenched two party system, I see the Libertarian Kaplan/Paff ticket as a sensible choice for the upcoming November 3rd election for governor," said Bacon, who called Corzine a disappointment during his campaign and pushed for a complete audit of state spending.

"I am honored to have this support from Roger Bacon, and I hope other Democrats, similarly dissatisfied with what Corzine has done during his first term, will vote for me this time," Kaplan said.

In an attempt to send a message, nearly one out of four Democrats who voted in Tuesday's Democratic primary (23%) did not vote for the incumbent Governor, Jon Corzine.  None of Corzine's three primary opponents, former Glen Ridge Mayor Carl Bergmanson (9%), 9/11 conspiracy theorist Jeff Boss (8%) and factory worker Roger Bacon (6%) spent more than couple of thousand dollars and had no organizational or interest group endorsements. 

Among the most significant political stories of the day was a Star-Ledger report that the Communications Workers of America (CWA), the state's largest public employee union, threatened to picket Corzine's campaign kickoff rally tonight - a move that might have led to Vice President Joseph Biden cancelling his appearance.  In order to avoid the controversy, Corzine agreed to a deal with the union on furloughs, according to the published report.

Gov. Jon Corzine faces just token opposition in the Democratic primary, although some pundits are watching to see if a significant number of Democrats - perhaps more than twenty percent of them - vote against him anyway.  In what is more of a race for second place, three other Democrats are running for Governor: Carl Bergmanson, a former Mayor of Glen Ridge; Roger Bacon, a factory worker who runs a customized ceramic mug business; and Jeff Boss, who claims to have witnessed the U.S. government planning the 9/11 terrorist attack. 

There are reports that some public employee unions are, very quietly, suggesting that their members vote for Bergmanson.  Their hope is that the vote totals of today's primary could influence Corzine over the next 28 days. 

Republicans will nominate a candidate for Governor today, with former U.S. Attorney Christopher Christie, former Bogota Mayor Steven Lonegan, and Assemblyman Rick Merkt (R-Mendham) seeking the chance to run against Democratic Gov. Jon Corzine.

Corzine has three primary opponents: former Glen Ridge Mayor Carl Bergmanson, Roger Bacon, and Jeff Boss, who claims to have witnessed the U.S. government planning the 9/11 terrorist attack.

In District 23, Assemblywoman Marcia Karrow (R-Raritan) faces a GOP primary challenge from Assemblyman Michael Doherty (R-Oxford).  Three candidates are seeking two Assembly seats: incumbent John DiMaio (R-Hackettstown), Hunterdon County Freeholder Erik Peterson, and Edward Smith, Doherty's Chief of Staff.

In the Morris County-based 25th district, where Merkt is giving up his seat to run for Governor, three candidates are seeking the Republican nod for a pair of Assembly seats: incumbent Michael Patrick Carroll (R-Morris Twp.), Morris County Freeholder Douglas Cabana,  and Anthony Bucco, Jr., the son of four-term State Sen. Anthony Bucco (R-Boonton).

Former Assemblyman Craig Stanley (D-Irvington), who lost his seat by 127 votes in the 2007 Democratic primary, is seeking a comeback in the Essex County-based 28th district.  He is challenging incumbents Ralph Caputo (D-Belleville) and Cleopatra Tucker (D-Newark).

In District 40, which includes parts of Bergen, Essex and Passaic counties, incumbents David Russo (R-Ridgewood) and Scott Rumana (R-Wayne) face primary challenges from Joseph Caruso and Anthony Rottino. 

In the 3rd district, which includes parts of Gloucester, Cumberland and Salem counties, Republicans will pick two candidates to challenge Democratic incumbents John Burzichelli (D-Paulsboro) and Celeste Riley (D-Bridgeton).

Democratic mayors face primary challenges in Edison, , Morristown,  Atlantic City, Plainfield, and East Orange. 

Today's Quinnipiac University poll is bad news for Carl Bergmanson, who is challenging Gov. Jon Corzine in the Democratic primary.  The former Mayor of Glen Ridge was never expected to beat Corzine, but now he's running fourth, trailing Jeff "Tin Foil" Boss and Roger Bacon, who designs coffee mugs.   Boss and Bacon are at 5%, while Bergmanson is at 4%.

The bad news for Corzine is that he's only polling at 65% in the Democratic primary (60% among Democratic women).   The Governor was at 70% among Democratic primary voters in an April 22 Quinnipiac poll.

One-third of Democrats are not yet ready to commit to vote for him as their party's nominee for Governor, and 20% of Democrats told Quinnipiac that they are undecided.  Most of those undecideds -- if they vote - will probably break for Corzine on June 2.

Corzine's job approvals among Democrats are at 63%-27% and his favorable are at 62%-24%.

Gov. Jon Corzine continues to struggle for the approval of New Jersey voters.

Gov. Jon Corzine has an upside-down 38%-53% approval rating and upside-down favorable of 37%-51%, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released this morning.  Among likely Democratic primary voters, Corzine is winning just 65% of the vote against three minor candidates, with 20% of voters still undecided about voting for Corzine in the Democratic primary.

"The good news for Gov. Jon Corzine is that he may have hit bottom and stopped his slide.  Once the primary is over, Corzine will put on his million-dollar golden gloves and start to fight," Richards added.  "Independent voters are the key to this race and by a 2-1 margin they don't like the job Corzine is doing. But all Corzine has to do is win back half the Democrats now voting for Christie and he is back in the race."

Jeff Boss, who claims to have witnessed the federal government planning the 9/11 terrorist attacks, and Phillipsburg businessman Roger Bacon, who designs coffee mugs, are at 5%.  Former Glen Ridge Mayor Carl Bergmanson is at 4%.

While the Democratic Governors Association (DGA) has not yet entered the fray in New Jersey, the Republican Governors Association (RGA) announced today that they would launch television and radio ads they believe highlights Gov. Jon Corzine's "failed economic record."  The ads come just a few days after one Republican gubernatorial candidate, Christopher Christie, criticized reports that the DGA would attempt to influence the GOP primary. 

School budgets passed in the hometowns of every major candidate for Governor but the incumbent.  In Hoboken, where Gov. Jon Corzine lives, voters rejected the proposed school budget by 111 votes (52%-48%). 

In Mendham Township, the hometown of two Republican candidates, former U.S. Attorney Christopher Christie and Assemblyman Rick Merkt, the school budget passed 482-393, 55%-45%.  In Bogota, where Steven Lonegan served three terms as Mayor, voters passed the budget by 37 votes, 54%-46%. 

Glen Ridge, the hometown of Corzine's Democratic primary challenger, former Mayor Carl Bergmanson, approved their school budget by a 65%-35% margin, 252 votes.   In Franklin Township, where Republican Brian Levine is Mayor, the budget passed by 1,385 votes, 65%-35%.

Former U.S. Attorney Christopher Christie leads former Bogota Mayor Steve Lonegan by nine points, 46%-37%, in the race for the Republican nomnation for Governor, according to a new Quinnipiac University poll released this morning.  Christie had led Lonegan 40%-19% in a poll taken by Quinnipiac last month.  

“Christopher Christie’s lead over Steve Lonegan in the Republican primary shrinks as we shift from registered voters to likely voters.  These Republican loyalists are less impressed by a political newcomer than a party veteran,” Richards said.

In a general election matchup Christie leads Democratic Gov. Jon Corzine by seven points, 45%-38%, and is tied with Steve Lonegan, 41%-41%.  

Corzine an upside-down job approval rating of 37%-54% -- the worst of his nine-year political career.  He was at 40%-50% in March.

“The economy is killing Gov. Jon Corzine’s approval rating in New Jersey so much that he is vulnerable not only to a strong challenger such as Chris Christie but a lesser known Republican such as Mayor Steve Lonegan,” said Clay F. Richards, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute.  “By any measure, Corzine is losing the support of key independent voters.  More importantly, he is not generating the level of love from fellow Democrats he needs to offset his big negatives among Republicans and independents."

Richards says it will be tough for Corzine to win re-election when six out of ten New Jerseyans disapprove of his handling of the economy.

“But Corzine has a great potential equalizer in this campaign – the millions he will spend to get his message across," said Richards. 

New Jersey will have contested primaries for Governor, for two State Senate seats, and in 23 districts for the State Assembly.

Gov. Jon Corzine will face three opponents in the Democratic primary as he seeks a second term as Governor - the first incumbent to have a primary challenge since Brendan Byrne ran for re-election in 1977.  Corzine faces former Glen Ridge Mayor Carl Bergmanson, Phillipsburg businessman Roger Bacon, and Jeffrey Boss, who ran for President in 2008 saying that he witnessed the U.S. government planning the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

Five Republicans filed to run for Governor: former U.S. Attorney Christopher Christie, former Bogota Mayor Steve Lonegan, Assemblyman Rick Merkt (R-Mendham), Franklin Mayor Brian Levine, and David Brown, an inventor from South Brunswick.  Newark businessman Dennis Knight and Morris County Freeholder James Murray, mentioned as potential gubernatorial candidates, did not submit nominating petitions.

Two Republicans filed to challenge State Sen. James Beach (D-Voorhees) in a special election in the sixth district:  former Magnolia Mayor Joseph Adolf, who ran and lost two years ago, and Joseph Welsh of Haddonfield, who will run on a Lonegan slate.   Beach won a special election convention in January to replace John Adler (D-Cherry Hill), who was elected to Congress.

In District 23, State Sen. Marcia Karrow (R-Raritan) will face a primary challenge from Assemblyman Michael Doherty (R-Oxford).  Karrow won the seat in a January special election convention, defeating Doherty for the seat of Leonard Lance (R-Clinton), who resigned to take his seat in Congress.

The Assembly primaries: