President

Vice President Joseph Biden is making his third visit to New Jersey this year in support of Gov.  Jon Corzine's bid for re-election.  Biden will speak at an 11AM rally at Middlesex County Community College in Edison.

President Barack Obama and former President Bill Clinton will also be in New Jersey this week for Corzine.

A New York Times poll of New Jersey residents has President Barack Obama's approval rating at 62%-25%.  But nearly two-third of registered voters (65%) say that Obama’s endorsement of Gov. Jon Corzine will have no effect on their vote.  17% say it will make them more likely to support Corzine, and 16% say less likely.

U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-Cliffside Park) has a 38%-22% approval rating, and U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez (D-Hoboken) has an approval rating of 32%-22%.

Newark Mayor Cory Booker, left, is introduced at a Newark Pride alliance event at the Newark Public Library earlier this week by Newark activist Darnell Moore.

BELLEVILLE - Notwithstanding a mistaken reference at one point to "Corky Booker," Newark Mayor Cory Booker's New Jersey political peers paid tribute Wednesday night to their rock-star-in-residence, who tonight is scheduled to sit down on The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien in a mock-up mano-a-mano for their now weeks-long national news spat. 

"I wonder if New Jerseyans are going to be watching Conan and Cory or Corzine and Christie," cracked Gov. Jon Corzine, a day before heading into pre-debate seclusion in preparation for his William Paterson University gubernatorial showdown with GOP rival Chris Christie and independent Chris Daggett, which also airs tonight.  

Booker two nights ago headlined the Nanina's in the Park fundraiser held by Essex County Clerk Chris Durkin, who called the motor-mouthed metaphor generating mayor now racing to have more Twitter friends than Ashton Kutcher and locked in a playful back and forth with O'Brien over the late night talk show hosts disparaging remarks about Newark, "global." 

"Conan and I could have a fun and very substantive conversation on Friday," Booker tweeted on Tuesday to 836,795 followers, whose cyberspace Hollywood rival, Kutcher, this week observed to his his 3,830,305 followers that "arts education in our pubic schools is important."

State Party Chairman Joe Cryan (center) at last week's LG debate at Monmouth University.

Democratic State Chairman Joe Cryan today amplified news about next week's rally with President Barack Obama and a Monday appearance in Middlesex by Vice President Joe Biden by announcing an incoming procession of party leaders for Gov. Jon Corzine, including former President William J. Clinton, United States Congressional members Michael Honda (D-CA) and Loretta Sanchez (D-CA), Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis, and Caroline Kennedy.

Clinton will attend a rally with state Sen. Loretta Weinberg (D-Teaneck) next Tuesday afternoon at the Collingswood Ballroom in Collingswood; and a rally with Corzine at Rutgers University in New Brunswick on Tuesday evening.

Honda is scheduled to bond with voters at a Saturday, Oct. 17 Filipino American Heritage Month Rally in Old Bridge, a Chinese Americans’ Moon Festival Rally in Princeton, and a Korean Americans’ Harvest Moon Festival Rally in Engelwood.

As he prepares to travel to New Jersey to campaign for Democratic Gov. Jon Corzine, President Barack Obama has a 55%-40% approval rating among likely voters in this state, according to a new Quinnipiac University poll. That’s about the same as he was two weeks ago (56%-39%), but below his 60% approval in July.

Obama’s approvals are at 86%-10% among Democrats, 52%-43% among independents, and not surprisingly, he’s upside-down among Republicans, 19%-76%.  He’s at 51%-45% among men, and 60%-36% among women.  He’s at 76%-19% in Essex and Hudson counties, 55%-41% in Bergen, Passaic, Union, Middlesex and Mercer counties, 64%-32% in South Jersey, and he’s upside down in northwestern New Jersey (45%-48%) and in the shore counties (44%-52%).

President Obama campaigns for Gov. Jon Corzine on July 16 in Holmdel.

President Barack Obama is coming to stump for Governor Corzine in Hackensack next week, according to an advisory from Corzine's campaign.

The event will be held at the Rothman Center at Fairleigh Dickinson University next Wednesday.  Doors open at 3pm.

Obama came to Holmdel on July 16 to stump for Corzine at the PNC Bank Arts Center.  

Corzine's campaign has used images of the Govenor standing next to Obama during that visit on billboards, imploring Obama voters to "keep it going."

President Barack Obama is expected to visit New Jersey on October 21 to campaign for Gov. Jon Corzine's re-election, according to campaign sources.  This is Obama's second visit to New Jersey on Corzine's behalf.  The Corzine campaign has also asked the White House to consider a third visit, just before Election Day.

Vice President Joseph Biden has also made two campaign visits to New Jersey in support of Corzine.

ATLANTIC CITY - Gov. Jon Corzine never forgot how to pronounce the word "union," Vice President Joe Biden told leaders of the New Jersey AFL-CIO this morning in an impassioned speech with less than a month to go before Election Day as Corzine runs neck-and-neck with Republican challenger Chris Christie, according to the latest Fairleigh Dickinson University poll. 

"I'm here for two reasons," said Biden. "First and foremost is to support my friend, Barack's friend, Jon Corzine. We made a decision that the first guy we committed to do anything we could do is Jon Corzine."

The other reason is to say thank you, said Biden, who laid the groundwork early in the speech for an old friends, shared values atmosphere to contrast sharply with what he identified as an intentionally vague GOP in the aftermath of the Bush era.

"I'm proud to stand here today, as I have year after year for the last 37 years with New Jersey labor, campaigning with you and for you, and also, with you campaigning with me," the vice president said. "I would not be standing here today without many of you in this room. You've been my second home. You've literally had my back."

To labor chants of "Yes, we can" and a howling standing ovation, a smiling Biden arrived out of the rain at the Borgata Casino on the second day of a two-day labor conference to gin up the ground game captains for what Corzine hopes will be GOTV dynamite.

"Today is 27 days out, and we need to have for the next four weekends, 1,200 volunteers out on weekends, that's our goal," said AFL-CIO President Charlie Wowkanech. "It's because of your efforts so far that this thing has gotten so close. ...This Nov. 3rd, we are going to put our best foot and exceed the Jim McGreevey 1.2 million members on votes for Jon Corzine. That's what it's all about."

Vice President Joe Biden has confirmed to rally with union members in support of Gov. Jon Corzine at the New Jersey State AFL-CIO Legislative/COPE conference at the Borgata Hotel in Atlantic City on Oct. 6-7, according to a release issued by the AFL-CIO. 

The conference will mark the last stage of labor’s re-elect push for Corzine and 70 labor candidates.

A Monmouth University/Gannett New Jersey poll shows President Barack Obama with a 52%-39% job approval rating among likely voters in New Jersey - relatively close to the 56%-39% Obama approval ratings in yesterday's Quinnipiac University poll.

Among undecided likely voters, Obama has a job approval rating of 52%-21%.  But independent voters are split, 41%-42%.