Rudy Giuliani

CHRISTIE DISSES PALIN, STUMPS WITH OTHER TOP REPUBLICANS

TRENTON- Democratic State Chairman Joseph Cryan today blasted Right Wing Conservative gubernatorial candidate Chris Christie for his hypocrisy in refusing the assistance of former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, while continuing to accept the support of numerous high-profile, out-of-state right wing Republicans.

New Jerseyans like their Governor more than New Yorkers do.  A Quinnipiac University poll released this morning shows David Paterson with an upside-down 28%-61% approval rating -- worse than Jon Corzine, who was at 36%-56% earlier this month.  Corzine trails Republican Christopher Christie by ten percentage points, while Paterson runs eighteen points behind one possible GOP rival, Rudy Giuliani.  (That doesn't matter: Andrew Cuomo has a 3-1 lead against Paterson over Democrats.)

But as other big state Governors look at truly horrible budgets, Corzine looks to be enjoying some relative success.  The Democratic Governor appears headed toward legislative approval of his budget tomorrow without much of a fight, and his Supreme Court nominee is poised to win Senate confirmation on Thursday, probably with some Republican votes.  

This probably isn't how Republicans viewed June 2009: Corzine getting his budget passed on the day Christie testfies before a House Judiciary subcommittee on federal monitors.

Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani is trying to talk current Mayor Michael Bloomberg into endorsing Chris Christie for governor of New Jersey, and Bloomberg may be listening.

The endorsement is far from a sure thing, but a source familiar with the talks said that the billionaire mayor, still sore over Governor Jon Corzine's opposition to his congestion pricing plan last year, might be willing to jump into the fray to support Christie.

Last April, fearing that the plan would impose higher fees on New Jersey commuters, Corzine called it "outrageous."

Giuliani political advisor Anthony Carbonetti acknowledged said that "there are definitely conversations taking place" between Bloomberg and Giuliani.

"Rudy is supportive of both Mike and Chris and would love to see them get together" he said.

Although not as politically active in New Jersey as Giuliani, Bloomberg has waded into politics here before.  Two months ago, Newark Mayor Cory Booker endorsed Bloomberg for reelection to a third term as mayor.  Last year Bloomberg endorsed 5th District congressional candidate Dennis Shulman, a Democrat, and in April he held a fundraiser for Jersey City Mayor Jerramiah Healy, who runs the powerful Hudson County Democratic Organization, along with his running mates.  Both support strict gun control measures - a pet cause for Bloomberg.

Democrats say that guns will be an issue that Bloomberg may have a hard time looking past.  State Sen. Loretta Weinberg (D-Teaneck), who is widely considered to be at or near the top of Corzine's shortlist for Lieutenant Governor, wondered aloud whether Christie's stances gun control and abortion would derail any potential endorsement.

"I would assume that Bloomberg would be really interested in knowing that the [Christie] doesn't even believe in the one handgun a month limit... Does anyone really need more than 12 guns in a year?' she said.   "Combine that with a woman's right to choose, and I would guess that Mayor Bloomberg doesn't have a lot in common with Chris Christie."

Former NYC Mayor Rudy Giuliani

CRANFORD – In the midst of the Andy Unanue debacle last year, former Monmouth County Republican Chairman Adam Puharic tried to kickstart the idea of a Rudy Giuliani U.S. Senate candidacy.

When asked about the possibility of a Senate bid at some point this morning at the maiden stop of Chris Christie’s statewide weekend tour, Giuliani said with a laugh, “I’m a New Yorker.”

Pressed to issue a definitive rule-out on ever running for the U.S. Senate in the Garden State, Giuliani said, “I never rule anything out,” but mostly treated the question as a joke before disappearing into a small crowd of Cranford firefighters who hosted the Christie event.

Former NYC Mayor Rudy Giuliani, left, joins GOP frontrunner for governor Chris Christie in Cranford this morning.

UPDATED 

CRANFORD – A day after Mitt Romney gripped a podium and celebrated Chris Christie, the latter was back to the 2008 presidential candidate who by virtue of geography or resume has most frequently and fervently championed the GOP frontrunner for governor.

The appearance with former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani at a table beside firefighters in the station house on Springfield Avenue occurred as Democrats fired off a press release savaging Christie for daring to promise the eradication of patronage jobs from Trenton while old chum and former Morris County Freeholder John Inglesino nurses a state pension for a $3,000 part-time gig he as a consultant for state Sen. Joe Pennacchio (R-Montville).

“It’s for the two of them to work out, it’s not for me to get into what they know I’m going to change when I’m governor,” said Christie of Inglesino and Pennacchio.

From afar, state Sen. Joe Vitale (D-Woodbridge) demanded that Christie get Pennacchio and Inglesino to produce a “work product,” making public exactly what work Inglesino fulfills in his capacity as a Pennacchio aide de camp.

Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani will join GOP gubernatorial candidate Christopher Christie at stops in Cranford, East Rutherford, Ridgewood and Hoboken on Saturday as part of Christie's "Take Back New Jersey" bus tour.

Mitt Romney's decision to pick a horse in the New Jersey Republican gubernatorial primary likely accomplishes two things: it boosts former U.S. Attorney Christopher Christie's standing among conservatives, and it strengthens Romney's chances of picking up organizational and fundraising support in New Jersey if he seeks the 2012 GOP nomination for President.

Christie leads former Bogota Mayor Steven Lonegan, who has been the de facto leader of the conservative wing of the New Jersey GOP for the last six years, by 23 percentage points, according to a poll released last week by Quinnipiac University.  Christie has appealed to conservative Republican primary voters through endorsements from other conservatives, including U.S. Rep. Christopher Smith (R-Hamilton), whose seal of approval among pro-life voters is important.

Chris Christie

Corrected, 05/19/09
Appearing Monday night on Sean Hannity’s Fox News television program, GOP gubernatorial candidate Chris Christie took the opportunity to reach past Gov. Jon Corzine’s individual term as governor, lumping him with his U.S. Senate tenure him into the bigger blender of what he sees as failed Democratic Party rule in the State of New Jersey.   

“Jon Corzine has been in office statewide how long now?” Hannity wanted to know.

“Nine years,” replied Christie.

Seated beside his ally, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani packaged Christie to Hannity by contrasting him with the sitting governor.

“The people of New Jersey see a leader, and what they have instead is the absence of that,” Giuliani said. 

In a conference call with the press today, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani compared the budget situation he inherited when he took office in 1994 to the one New Jersey faces now, and argued that Chris Christie is the only candidate for governor who can solve the crisis.  

“Even the numbers are fairly close. I had at the time about a $36 billion budget… and I had a $2.3 billion deficit that turned out to be much larger than my opponent had been saying it was during the election,” Giuliani said, comparing that to the $1.5 to $2 billion gap from an already austere projection here in New Jersey.

Giuliani, who like Christie served as a U.S. Attorney, said that he threw out conventional wisdom about what to do in dire budget situations when he became mayor, choosing to cut spending and taxes instead of raise them.

Although Giuliani did create a surplus soon after taking office, he ultimately left his successor, Michael Bloomberg, with a deficit and a slightly larger public workforce than the one he inherited.  Even before the September 11 attacks that hurt the city’s economy and catapulted Giuliani to national stardom, he projected that his successor would face a $2.8 billion shortfall.  After 9/11, the deficit grew to $4.8 billion.