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Hastert makes a visit for
Schundler
Originally appeared in the Star Ledger on 10/02/01
'It's important for New Jerseyans, for Americans, to just get
on an airplane and fly somewhere," he said.
But Schundler wasn't flying just to show his confidence in
the nation's airport security system following last month's
terrorist attacks. He was going to Dallas to raise money for
his campaign.
With five weeks left in the governor's race, the former
Jersey City mayor still needs to raise $550,000 to hit the
$2.9 million mark that qualifies his campaign for $5.6
million in public matching funds, according to the Election
Law Enforcement Commission.
Democrat Jim McGreevey reached that goal in mid-August
-- though four years ago, in his first gubernatorial
campaign, he still had not qualified for full state funding at
this point in the race.
Schundler has found himself turning to contributors beyond
New Jersey's borders to raise those dollars. Cashing in on
his reputation in conservative circles as an inner-city
Republican success story, Schundler has raised $1.1
million from outside New Jersey -- twice as much as
McGreevey.
Texas in particular has been generous to Schundler.
Contributors there have given him $66,700, behind only
contributors in New York and Florida. Last night, donors
described by Schundler as supporters of President George
Bush hosted him at a private home in Dallas.
Schundler spokesman Bill Guhl said the campaign will
report the remainder of the $2.9 million shortly and win full
state funding.
"The bottom line is, we will essentially have the same
amount of money to spend as Jim McGreevey does," Guhl
said. "Most of the money you spend is in the final few
weeks anyway."
But one political analyst said yesterday that the fact that
Schundler had to go to Dallas with five weeks left in the
campaign raises questions about his support within his
own party.
'I don't see any momentum. I don't see much of anything,"
said John Kohut, an analyst with the Cook Political Report
in Washington, D.C.
The Schundler campaign isn't showing any signs of worry,
however. Guhl said Schundler is simply going to Dallas
because would-be contributors there offered to raise money
for him.
Schundler's campaign has only recently emerged from the
moratorium on campaigning that both candidates imposed
following the Sept. 11 attacks.
His first public venture ran into criticism late last month
when he proposed ways to improve public security and the
state's emergency response system, only to be seen as
criticizing the rescue effort. Schundler said he was
misunderstood, and apologized.
He has since gone out of his way to praise emergency and
rescue workers. This weekend, he began running ads that
include footage of firefighters, police officers and President
Bush at the disaster site.
But with the ad, he raised the ire of a state firefighters
union that has endorsed McGreevey. The group called the
ad "a clear attempt to capitalize politically on a tragedy"
and yesterday called on him to pull it from the air.
Guhl said, however, that "the fact that (the unions)
supported Jim McGreevey makes their criticism less
relevant at this point."
Yesterday, Schundler again praised rescue and
emergency workers at his campaign event with Hastert at
the airport. The House Speaker is one of several prominent
Republicans who have traveled from Washington to stump
for him. Hastert and Schundler also endorsed President
Bush's plan to shore up the nation's airport security
system.
McGreevey, meanwhile, stumped in Trenton, where he told
600 members of the New Jersey Mental Health Coalition
that he would expand insurance coverage for mental-health
services. A "personal scheduling conflict" prevented
Schundler from attending, according to Assemblyman John
Rooney (R-Bergen), who appeared on Schundler's behalf.
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