NJ Gubernatorial Primary

NJ Republicans have a varied choice of candidates during this primary season. The two leaders are Doug Forrester and Bret Schundler, who lost to the shady Jim McGreevey last time around:

Political conservatives of the tax-cutting, limited-government sort must be feeling lonely in New York these days. But taking a look over the river to New Jersey might help rouse their spirits. In the Garden State, a raucous primary campaign for the Republican gubernatorial nomination is under way, with each of the seven candidates sparring over how best to cut property taxes and control waste and corruption in Trenton. The election is on June 7.

The two leading candidates - a former mayor of Jersey City, Bret Schundler, and a former state pension director, Douglas Forrester - offer competing plans for easing the property-tax burden on New Jersey's homeowners. Mr. Schundler wants to constrain state and local spending constitutionally, leading to cuts in property taxes. Mr. Forrester has promised to cut property taxes directly by 30% over three years. Another candidate, former Bergen County freeholder Todd Caliguire, plans to reduce the state payroll by between 10% and 15% over three years and lower state spending by 10%.

I doubt any of this is worth a damn anyway. John Corzine is sitting back and waiting with a nearly unlimited budget and the backing of the NJ Democratic machine.

Forrester is very dull and inspires few folks. Schundler is a proven leader but has not been espousing the conservative message he did four years ago when he was beaten soundly by McGreevey.

Lonegan has the conservative rhetoric down but is a serious underdog as he's gotten no press.

It's all academic as Corzine will probably win in a rout and set his eyes toward the White House. The Clinton/Corzine race for the democratic nod should be as interesting to watch as the Republican primaries.