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Battle for Trenton enters crucial phase with debates ahead
Originally appeared in the Bergen Record on Sunday, October 7, 2001 They've called each other names. They've touted their records and trashed their opponent's. They've honed their answers about terrorism, taxes, and tolls. Now they're ready for prime time.
Less than four weeks before voters choose New Jersey's next governor, Republican Bret Schundler and Democrat Jim McGreevey will meet face to face this week for the first time to answer questions about how they would lead the state.
From 8 to 9 p.m. Wednesday, New Jersey Network will air the first of five public debates scheduled over the next three weeks.
Schundler, the surprise winner in the GOP primary, has the most to gain from the debates and the stepped-up television advertising that will begin airing during the same time period. The most recent independent poll showed the Republican had the support of just 31 percent of the voters, virtually unchanged since July. McGreevey had 46 percent.
Campaign manager Bill Pascoe contends Schundler will gain ground quickly once voters begin to focus on the race and compare his record as mayor of Jersey City with McGreevey's record as mayor of Woodbridge and as a former state legislator.
But the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon are an unknown wild card in the race, and the existing rules about what will attract voters and what will turn them off may no longer apply.
"Given the circumstances of the disaster, it's going to be very tough to try to get emotions up about parkway tolls," one of Schundler's marquee issues, said Roger Bodman, a Republican lobbyist and commentator on NJN who backed Schundler's opponent, Bob Franks, in the primary.
"Schundler has to differentiate himself from McGreevey in a way that does not appear to be mean-spirited or in any way lacking in civility," Bodman said. "He can point out differences in their records as mayor, but he can't appear to be strident or in any way break the bonds of bipartisanship that are clearly the order of the day in this political season."
Schundler's first television ad, released last week, was a tribute to rescue workers designed partly to repair the damage to his campaign caused by an article in The New York Times on Sept. 22. The paper said Schundler criticized New Jersey's response to the attack on the World Trade Center.
Schundler said his comments were mischaracterized, but did not deny the quotes attributed to him, including one in which he said state troopers who set up an operations center in Liberty State Park "didn't do much of anything -- they just sat there."
Since the campaign resumed after a two-week hiatus following the Sept. 11 attack, Schundler has focused his message on leadership, arguing he has the skills to lead the state in a time of crisis.
Other than adding words of praise for rescue workers and President Bush, McGreevey has kept his campaign message largely the same since the disaster. A typical campaign speech mixes a general indictment of 10 years of Republican control of Trenton with promises to boost education spending for issues such as literacy. He also continues to talk in general terms about his premier issues in the 1997 race against Gov. Christie Whitman -- auto insurance and property tax rates.
"McGreevey is basically playing prevent defense. He has to present himself as someone who possesses leadership skills, who's a middle-of-the-road, centrist Democrat," Bodman said.
While both campaigns refused to discuss details, political consultants say it's standard practice that the candidates have spent the past week holding daily mock debates.
"When you do debate prep, you want to do two things. One is prepare your candidate for what the probable answers of your opponent will be, based on what the candidate says when asked similar questions. The other thing is to enhance your own answers," said William Baroni, who portrayed Schundler while preparing Franks for debates in this spring's primary race.
Political analysts said that debates in New Jersey, often shown on television stations with low viewership or at times when few people are watching, never generate the kind of public response in the electorate that a nationally televised presidential debate does.
But media accounts of the debates, especially if they frame the issues for the campaign's homestretch or report that a candidate scored points or did better than expected, have an influence. Baroni pointed to 1993, when then-unknown Republican Whitman was expected to be trounced by her far more experienced opponent, Democratic Gov. Jim Florio.
McGreevey spokesman Richard McGrath sought to downplay expectations for his candidate, even though Heyl said McGreevey performs his best when the pressure is really on.
"There's no doubt Mr. Schundler is considered the more aggressive and more acerbic debater," McGrath said. "But we're confident the substance of Jim McGreevey's positions will resonate with viewers."
Wednesday's debate from the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark is sponsored by the New Jersey Chamber of Commerce, The Record, The Herald News, and The Philadelphia Inquirer.
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