June 3, 2009 - 12:33am
Inside Edge

Corzine held to 78% in non-competitive Democratic primary

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.

The last time an incumbent statewide officeholder fared so poorly against token primary opposition was U.S. Senator Clifford Case, who was held to 75% against Dr. James Walter Ralph in 1972.  It didn't matter: Case was re-elected in November by more than three quarters of a million votes.

Wally Edge can be reached via email at politicsnj@aol.com.