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RICH SCHULTZ / Associated Press
At Thursday's radio debate: (from left) Christopher J. Christie, Gov. Corzine, and Chris Daggett.It was Corzine's encounter with Daggett after a televised debate that fueled a conspiracy theory.
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GOP worried about Daggett's impact on N.J. race

Democratic Gov. Corzine winked as he extended his hand to independent Chris Daggett in a ceremonial handshake before the last televised debate in the tumultuous New Jersey governor's race.

Was it a facial tic or, as some wonder, something more - confirmation of a conspiracy theory running through Republican circles that Daggett is somehow being helped by Corzine?

Suspicion runs rampant when a candidate becomes a major factor in a race that appears to be a near tie between the big-party nominees.

Independent pollsters and analysts say Daggett's recent surge in popularity hurts Republican nominee Christopher J. Christie a little more than it hurts Corzine.

"Without Daggett, Christie would be in better shape," said David Redlawsk, a political scientist and director of the Rutgers University poll. "Corzine has simply sat where he is, not able to break that 40 percent number, while Christie has gone down as Daggett has gone up."

Redlawsk probed further a week ago by asking Daggett supporters whom they would vote for if they didn't pull for their candidate. Thirty-four percent said they would vote for Christie, and 28 percent said Corzine. Twenty-four percent said they wouldn't vote at all.

Daggett polled at 20 percent, the number that he has said from the outset of his campaign would signify a chance to win. When the poll came out, his campaign contributions went up, allowing him to buy more ads.

Sean Darcy, Corzine's communications director, denied that the governor's campaign was helping Daggett.

"We're clearly not propping anyone up," he said. "Anyone who knows Daggett knows nobody speaks for him or pushes him around."

Daggett dismissed the notion as "another Republican scare tactic to try to say an independent can't win a race or can't govern."

Rider University political scientist Ben Dworkin said Corzine was more worried about holding on to Democratic voters than throwing votes at Daggett. The "cavalcade of stars" visiting New Jersey - including President Obama and former President Bill Clinton, who stumped for the governor last week - did so to energize Democrats, Dworkin said.

Even before Redlawsk's poll, the Republicans determined that Daggett was damaging Christie.

Christie's campaign, supplemented by the Republican Governors Association, spent the last two weeks attacking Daggett, stepping up its attacks last week. It has tried to brand him as the "second Democrat" in the race, or "Corzine light" - appeals to voters it believes could drift his way.

"The Corzine campaign hopes [Daggett] attracts away anti-Corzine voters and gives them an alternative place to go other than Christie," said Mike Duhaime, Christie's political consultant.

Duhaime is aware of the conspiracy theorists but, like other Republicans, could not cite evidence that Corzine and Daggett were in cahoots.

"I think the people of New Jersey are fed up to the teeth with the two parties," said Hazel Gluck, a lobbyist and former assemblywoman who served in the inner circles of Republican Govs. Christie Whitman and Thomas H. Kean.

"People all across the country are fed up with the two parties, and this could be their way of saying, 'We've had enough of all of you.' " Gluck said.

Whitman went so far as to tell Fox News last week that Corzine's campaign was "urging people quietly to support Chris Daggett because, by doing that, they figure they'll split the independent vote."

Though she declined to be interviewed for this article, Whitman said through a spokeswoman that she had been quoted accurately.

"That she's a conspiracy theorist I find amazing for a woman who is intelligent and the former governor of our state," said Daggett, a former Republican who served in the Kean administration.

Winks aside, Daggett said, he's focusing on just one thing: "How can I continue to show people what I have to offer and then let the chips fall where they fall?"

 


Contact staff writer Cynthia Burton at 856-779-3858 or cburton@phillynews.com.

 

Comments   
Posted 04:03 AM, 10/26/2009
alexhiggins732
GOP Nonsense. Daggett is not a plant for Corzine. Hazel Gluck hit the nail right on the head "I think the people of New Jersey are fed up to the teeth with the two parties." "People all across the country are fed up with the two parties, and this could be their way of saying, 'We've had enough of all of you.' " Gluck said. Is Lonegan a Corzine plant. The political machines that run this state are in for a rude awakening. The rise of the independent. Just google it "independent and irate"
Posted 05:51 AM, 10/26/2009
psyrus
Based on what's written here it seems some Republicans and independent voters want change. That's why Christie's numbers are shifting towards Daggett. The Dems numbers are staying the same. They just want more of the same or they are just blindly following the Democratic herd.
Posted 06:58 AM, 10/26/2009
sjjr
Corzine needs to be worrying, because my formerly Democratic vote is going to the Independent candidate Daggett in this election. Shame on Christie's policies and positions, and shame on Corzine's terrible record and awful negative ad campaigns. Daggett is the only one with honor, class, skills, talent, and dignity.
Posted 07:43 AM, 10/26/2009
aNutterInDgutter
GOP is worried about Daggett? The GOP should be more worried about countering Corzine's policies with substance. Christie's promises are so vague, cut taxes, cut taxes, at what cost? It's a differnet ballgame GOP! You need to change with the times. It's all about playing to the camera, smiling, telling everybody what they want to hear, appearing in talk shows.
Posted 07:59 AM, 10/26/2009
WWTDD
If Corzine gets reelected, it will only go to show how bad of a state New Jersey is.
Posted 08:36 AM, 10/26/2009
fafafooey
A vote for Daggett is a vote for Corzine, plain and simple. An NJ will wake up on Nov 4 looking forward to more of Corzine's higher unemployment, higher taxes, and free mammograms! Yay!
Posted 08:53 AM, 10/26/2009
chrissmith
If you don't believe it's even POSSIBLE that Daggett has been set up by Corzine's people, then, really...you know nothing, absolutely nothing, about Jersey politics.
Posted 09:17 AM, 10/26/2009
Angie200
And since the "Inqui" is in the tank with liberalism helping the "conspiracy theory" spread can't hurt. If the conservative/independent votes are split, and w/a little help from friends like Acorn, then Corzine would win to represent less than half of the state...
Posted 09:43 AM, 10/26/2009
miket
I was going to to vote for Christie,but all I hear from him is that Right wing rhetoric garbage,anti gay,anti womens choice,anti medical marijuana(so afraid it is going to get in the wrong hands he is willing to let people in need suffer)it is like a broken record.I hate King Corzine so I'm stuck with Daggett.The system needs a complete overhaul.
Posted 10:09 AM, 10/26/2009
BFlint
As a NJ voter I am not worried about Daggett. Corzine is the one who will lose votes to Daggett. Christie has solid Republican and independent support --- no working taxpayer wants the HIGHER TAXES of Corzine or the HIGHER TAXES that DAGGETT supports. This is the Ross Perrot affect... some Democrat voters who would have normally voted for Corzine will vote for Daggett instead. Many Democrats that I have spoken to say Christie is who they are voting for since we need to LOWER TAXES, especially the outrageous property taxes. Christie will cut our property taxes by at least 15% the first year.
Posted 11:01 AM, 10/26/2009
hairball
Blint, you are absolutely wrong. Christie is the one losing votes to Daggett. The problem Corzine faces is that people are tired of him and his failed policies. However, if you give the anti-Corzine group two choices, then you are in effect splitting the opposition vote. This is exactly what happened in 1992 when Perot took 17% of the vote and split the conservative bloc. Clinton squeaked in at 43% while GHW Bush got 38%, a number he'd have greatly increased if Perot hadn't siphoned off the votes.
Posted 11:05 AM, 10/26/2009
hairball
I do not believe that the Daggett-Corzine camps are in cahoots in any way. However, I do believe that Jon Corzine is not unhappy Daggett is in the race and that's why the Corzine ads don't really attack Daggett. Christie, however, has had to go after both Daggett and Corzine in his campaign. The leftist Newark Star-Ledger endorsed Daggett, which is a covert way of endorsing Corzine without having to address all of his negative aspects. A vote for Daggett is a vote for Corzine in this election.
Posted 11:12 AM, 10/26/2009
longshanks
Save the New Jersey food supply vote against Christie. Usual GOP nonsense. Lower taxes, smaller government, ban gays, ban abortion, ban illegals, guns for all, God rules and my personal favorite "fiscal responsibility". Save sanity, vote against the GOP.
Posted 11:39 AM, 10/26/2009
jwad (D)
How can the people of new jersey be fed up with both parties when there is only one party in the whole state?
Posted 11:44 AM, 10/26/2009
LongtimeFan3
which is why I voted for Lonegan in the primary...cant trust any of these candidtes
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