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APRIL SAUL / Staff Photographer

In Camden, President Obama campaigns for Gov. Corzine at the Susquehanna Bank Center. Reelecting Corzine would help "continue the progress" Obama has made, the president said.

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N.J. candidates open a final big push

By Jonathan Tamari

Inquirer Trenton Bureau

President Obama urged South Jersey supporters to work hard tomorrow to reelect fellow Democrat Jon Corzine and help the incumbent governor overcome a stiff challenge from Republican Christopher J. Christie.

Christie, meanwhile, made his own pitch to rally his campaign, crossing the state in his tour bus and seizing on an Obama theme - casting himself as an agent for change who can fix New Jersey.

Independent Chris Daggett also tried to secure last-minute votes as the three major candidates make one last, hard push to energize supporters in the final days of a down-to-the-wire race.

Obama, making his second appearance for Corzine in the last 10 days, told a roaring crowd at the Susquehanna Bank Center in Camden that giving the governor another four years would help "continue the progress" Obama has made in Washington. He encouraged Democrats to get their family and friends to the voting booth.

"If we turn out to vote on Tuesday and we put in someone who we know is on our side, then we can continue the progress that this extraordinary state has made," Obama told an audience that organizers estimated at 6,500.

Obama, covering much of the same ground as he did in an Oct. 21 appearance on Corzine's behalf, once again referred to the governor as a "partner" in his efforts.

His 25-minute speech was interrupted several times by shouts of support, and once by an "E-A-G-L-E-S" chant when he thanked those who had come to the rally instead of the Giants-Eagles game.

The Corzine campaign is counting on the president to generate enthusiasm, particularly in urban areas where New Jersey Democrats traditionally rack up big margins. Standing high over Camden, for example, is a billboard showing Corzine and Obama with the words Keep It Going. Corzine tied himself and his agenda to the president, who also spoke in Newark yesterday.

"President Obama stands up for working families and so do I," he said. "Let's keep it going, OK?"

Corzine said that while he stood with the president, Christie was campaigning with Rep. Joe Wilson, the South Carolina Republican who shouted "You lie!" during Obama's health-care address to Congress. Wilson was at a rally talking up Christie's candidacy, but it was sponsored by a conservative group, not the Christie campaign. Christie did not appear with Wilson.

"Jon Corzine will say anything, even lie, in order to scare voters," Christie spokeswoman Maria Comella said.

Christie, on his tour through the state, stopped at diners and rallies to encourage his backers and tout his message of spending cuts and lower taxes. Beginning in Bergen County, a New Jersey bellwether, and working his way to Republican strongholds at the Shore, Christie portrayed a vote for Corzine as a vote for policies that have damaged the state.

Comella said Christie was greeted with enthusiasm.

"People are actually shouting back at Chris," she said. "They're really pumped up."

As Corzine has brought in Democratic stars such as the president, Christie has said voters know that it is Corzine, not Obama, who is on the ballot. The Democratic luminaries, he has said, will head back to Washington, not Trenton, when the rallies end.

Daggett began his day on CNBC and then bounced among diners, the city streets of Paterson, and the tailgating scene before the New York Jets game at the Meadowlands. The independent is trying to convince voters he can win, although a new poll showed his support slipping.

Daggett said the polls did not capture the disappointment New Jerseyans feel with the two major parties.

"This state needs a change," Daggett said by phone as his tour bus cruised between stops in northwestern New Jersey. "People are tired of both parties. They are significantly upset at what they've seen, and they are looking for an alternative."

If the public believes his motto that "it's never wrong to vote for the right person," Daggett said, "I win this election."

The importance of motivating supporters was reinforced by a poll, released yesterday morning, that showed a virtual dead heat between Christie and Corzine. The Monmouth University/Gannett New Jersey survey had Christie with 43 percent of likely voters' support compared with 42 percent for Corzine and 8 percent for Daggett.

"This election will be defined by turnout like few others before it," said Patrick Murray, director of the Monmouth University Polling Institute. "Many Democrats are sitting on the sidelines and not considered to be likely voters at this point. They may be unenthusiastic about their governor, but can they be prodded to the polls for other reasons? If not, Christie may eke out the win."

Corzine, burdened by the national recession, remains widely unpopular in polls, leaving him in a tight race despite Democrats' historic advantage in New Jersey.

Obama has now made three public appearances for Corzine, lending his prestige to the campaign as some pundits describe tomorrow's gubernatorial elections in New Jersey and Virginia as statements about the president.

While that may be part of the national discussion, few in New Jersey see the race in those terms. Most have focused on Corzine and the alternatives presented by Christie and Daggett.

Contact staff writer Jonathan Tamari at 609-989-9016 or jtamari@phillynews.com.

Comments

Posted 06:58 AM, 11/02/2009

tr88

http://search.philly.com/?q=corzine+polls&cat=site&f=&sortby=daterelevant&offset=30 Not a single headline saying Christie is leading or is up in the polls. About 7 or 8 saying Corzine leads or has tied it up. Cherrypciking Polls , ignoring the m=ones where Christie leads. Christie's name never mentioned in a headline. Just a coincidence or the Inquirer "News" editors trying to influence the election? Any reasonable American should reject these totalitarian tactics by the union between the media and the democrat party. Oh, and Christie is going to win by more than 5% so not only does the media try and cheat, they do all they can to misinform.

Posted 08:01 AM, 11/02/2009

db1217

What progress exactly is Obama referring to? The highest property taxes in the country? Please NJ, do the right thing, vote for Christie and kick the corrupt Corzine administration to the curb.

Posted 10:01 AM, 11/02/2009

jwad (D)

Thank god the Corzine plague is finally coming to an end.

Comment removed.

Posted 11:46 AM, 11/02/2009

charlie1041

Lets keep the focus, people. NJ is a state with an income tax, sales tax, a lottery, and gambling. All that money flowing in, and its not enough....Its never enough! Our bloated, corrupt state government continues to find new ways to squeeze the middle class (higher taxes, reducing or eliminating rebates, etc.) while funding more and more social programs we clearly can't afford. Isn't it time we tried something new in NJ? I think we need to break the cycle; big unions funding candidates who press for larger government, passing laws which further the causes of big labor. Clearly this is the intent of the current administration in Washington, and I think Corzine's defeat would help send a clear message that We The People demand and deserve better!!

Posted 12:05 PM, 11/02/2009

Captain Splendor

It's a shame independents can't get the same funding or backing as the big boys.

Posted 01:41 PM, 11/02/2009

janann

O lordy right out of the gate - Tr88 and the cut and pastes,,,, - I live in New Jersey - have a good income -- and whenever anyone says they are going to loower income taxes, they lower them by about $250/yr - Let's be honest to lower the income tax from say 4% to 2% may sound like a 50% cut - but how much is it on 50K???? an actual reduction of $500 or $10/week. But the Property Taxes go up by at least $1,000/year afer year after year. ---- Charlie - it is time we find something new in NJ - Use Income tax rather than Property Tax to pay for Public education - the thoseon a fixed income won't have to sell their homes because they can't affort the taxes,,,, and will no longer under a Repulican Government to qualify for a property tax rebate or any other programs designed to help those still out of work. Good luck to those unemployed still complaining about Corzine,,,, you will havng waiting for Christie to do anything for you. Jersey is a funny state,,,, almost everyone spends all their time either with their hand out -- or worrying that someone else got more of a handout than them and didn't deserve it.

Posted 01:47 PM, 11/02/2009

Poppys

Captain Splendor - Dagget and Christie both got matching funds. Corzine did not. Like Obama, he declined that $. Why? Because he knew he had more $ himself, and did not want to be restricted in what he spent. He spent $23 million of his own money on this campaign. $23 million. Why on earth would anyone do that? Reason - he can advance his own pocketbook many times that. He is a crook, a liar, a thief and in bed 100% with the unions in NJ. He is exactly the opposite of what is needed in NJ. Is Christie the exact opposite? No, but he is close enough. Dagget wants to increase taxes like Corzine, so I ask you - who would you vote for based on those facts?

Posted 02:46 PM, 11/02/2009

TJones

Democrats will tax and spend until there is not a penny left to take and the populace becomes miserable zombies with their hands out waiting for the next government gift. The only question is how awful do things have to get before voters come to their senses? Just how gullible are the voters of New Jersey?