Steve Forbes

Former presidential candidates Steve Forbes and Rudy Giuliani have endorsed U.S. Rep. Scott Garrett for re-election.

It’s a war of endorsements in the 5th District today.

U.S. Rep. Scott Garrett’s (R-Wantage) campaign just rolled out its second big name election eve endorsement: publishing tycoon Steve Forbes.

Forbes, a New Jersey native, kept his endorsement brief.

“I’ve known Scott for years. He’s a fiscal conservative who puts taxpayers before big government,” he said in a statement. “Congress needs more common-sense leaders like him.”

New Jerseyan Steve Forbes, a magazine publisher and former presidential candidate, has endorsed John McCain for President.  Forbes had been backing Rudy Giuliani.

If the Democratic candidate for President is either Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama, they will still need to break the curse of the Senate: sitting United States Senators have only won the presidency twice – John F. Kennedy in 1960 and Warren Harding in 1920.  And if John McCain wins the Republican nomination, it will become the first presidential contest between two Senators in American history.

The curse, i.e. the preference for Governors as presidential candidates, was among the reasons Jon Corzine left the U.S. Senate to run for Governor in 2005.  In those days – just three years ago – it is no secret that Corzine had presidential aspirations.  But friends of the Governor say any thoughts of running for national office are pretty much gone.

BUH-DUM-BUMP: THE PEOPLE'S COURT
IS BACK IN SESSION
He's Tanned, Rested & Ready: Let's Ask Judge Wapner
To Decide on Assembly GOP's Claims

(TRENTON) -- Even with last night's retreat on their threatened lawsuit to block property tax reform, Assembly Republicans have left their door open for a legal challenge to more than $2 billion in property tax cuts, with the Assembly Minority Leader intoning, "I guarantee somebody's going to file a lawsuit" (Star-Ledger, January 31).

New Jerseyan Steve Forbes says he is spending two days in New Hampshire this week to push his flat tax agenda and sign copies of his new book, "Flat Tax Revolution" -- and not to begin planting the seeds for a third presidential campaign in 2008. Forbes spent more than $75 million of his own fortune in unsuccessful bids for the Republican nomination for President in 1996 and 2000. Forbes campaigned for Bret Schundler in the recent New Jersey gubernatorial primary, and led attacks against Doug Forrester's "30-in-3" tax plan.