Posted on 06/07/2005 9:00:29 PM PDT by LdSentinal
A millionaire businessman won New Jersey's Republican gubernatorial primary Tuesday and earned the right to face Democratic Sen. Jon Corzine in November — the state's first race for governor since James McGreevey resigned in a gay-sex scandal.
Doug Forrester edged former Jersey City Mayor Bret Schundler after spending millions of his own fortune to finance a campaign that took aim at the state's highest-in-the-nation property taxes.
Corzine easily won the Democratic primary after facing only token opposition.
With 94 percent of precincts counted, Forrester had 102,417 votes, or 36 percent, to 88,841 votes, or 31 percent, for Schundler in the seven-way primary. Corzine had 88 percent of the vote.
In other races around the country, a 70-year-old retired judge led a 30-year-old Hispanic city councilman in a runoff for mayor of San Antonio, the nation's eighth-largest city.
Corzine declared his candidacy in December, a month after McGreevey, a fellow Democrat, resigned following his announcement that he had an extramarital affair with a man while in office. The man was later identified as his homeland security adviser.
Corzine's name recognition and wealth — he spent a record $63 million of his own fortune to get elected to the Senate in 2000 — will make the former Goldman Sachs chairman the favorite against Forrester in this Democratic-leaning state. Like his GOP rivals, Corzine has promised property tax relief. His plan would shift the property tax burden away from senior citizens and poor working families.
Forrester has said he will reduce property taxes by 10 percent in each of the next three years through spending cuts and layoffs.
"We're going to make sure that we turn New Jersey around beginning tonight," Forrester told cheering supporters at a rally.
Making a veiled reference to New Jersey's poor image as a state rife with political corruption, Corzine vowed he would be an honest governor.
"Tonight I make a pledge to the people of New Jersey, I won't be anybody's governor but yours," he said after his primary victory.
The New Jersey contest is one of only two governor's races being decided this year. The other is in Virginia.
Forrester, 52, is the owner of a prescription drug management company and former mayor of West Windsor, outside Princeton. He spent $7 million of his own money in 2002 trying to win a Senate seat, but Frank Lautenberg came out of retirement and beat him by 10 points.
Forrester had a big spending edge over Schundler, who accepted public matching funds. According to one estimate, Forrester spent more than $5 million on TV advertising alone.
The winner in November will succeed Democrat Richard J. Codey, who as president of the state Senate became acting governor when McGreevey stepped down. Codey decided not to run for a full term.
What is the point of turning out to vote if you're just going to vote for whoever you think will win the primary?
Too bad.
Okay, let's back the scandal train up here.
McGreevey didn't resign because he was gay, he resigned because he was under investigation, had nothing to do with his sexuality, he just concocted that horse manuer so he could go out as the "poor victim"
Why, it's the Republican't way!
I always here this guy on the radio. I'll give him a chance, but he sounds like a snobby opportunist to me.
New Jersey voters take heed! Please ignore Forester in November. You have a reputation of suicidal elections to protect! Don't break your string of brain dead votes! This is serious stuff, here. If you elect Forester, New Jersey will become just another brain dead voter state and will lose its title to North Dakota. Think about that when you go to the polls.
Big-time alarm bells at this phrase! This is the same slogan that has helped Sen Herb Kohl, also a rich, white, (posiibly gay)man get elected to consecutive terms in the US Senate supposedly representing Wisconsin. He's not my Senator. Every time I call his office the staff is rude, condescending, and arrogant. I don't think he's ever voted 'Aye' on anything important to me. Hogwash.
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