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Governor James McGreevey

Hudson County Politics

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Candidates in last week of campaigning

Originally appeared in the Courier Post on Tuesday, October 30, 2001
By LILO H. STAINTONand SANDY McCLUREMBR
Gannett State Bureau

TRENTON
With a week remaining in the race for governor, Democrat Jim McGreevey will travel with union leaders today to energize organized labor on his behalf, while Republican Bret Schundler rallies against taxes at the State House and visits industries in the hope of gaining votes on economic issues.

"For McGreevey, at this point, turnout is the key," said Monika McDermott, senior political researcher at Rutgers University. "His lead is only as strong as the enthusiasm behind it."

With the GOP candidate trailing in recent polls by about 10 percentage points, "the race needs to be shaken up if Schundler is to win," McDermott said. "His strengths really are on economic issues."

Schundler took an already acrimonious campaign to a new level during a debate Sunday, making references to McGreevey's family life and unborn child when discussing Halloween safety and abortion issues. Some said it could get uglier in the final stretch.

"He did get personal. This might be his new tactic, to bring McGreevey down in popularity," McDermott said of Sunday's exchange.

"Schundler has to go negative" at this point in the race, if he expects to gain ground, Rider University political scientist David Rebovich said.

To close the gap, Schundler must do three things, Rebovich said: Scare away "soft" McGreevey supporters, motivate Republican voters and clearly explain to residents why they should elect him. Many of his responses during debates and interviews are long and meandering, Rebovich said, which doesn't help voters understand him.

Richard Harris, a political science professor at Rutgers Camden, also said Schundler must now work hard to win over independent voters, since McGreevey has a strong hold on the traditional Democratic groups like women, labor unions and African Americans.

"At the end of the day this race will boil down to whether or not Mr. Schundler can energize independent voters," Harris said. "He didn't have the time" with internal party struggles and the Sept. 11 terrorist attack " to lock up core Republican constituencies," Harris added.

Schundler spokesman Bill Guhl said Schundler will spend the final days of the campaign talking about his base issues; how he lowered taxes and revived Jersey City as its mayor, and how he'll do the same for residents across New Jersey.

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