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 Schundler predicts he will be governor
Originally appeared in the Star Ledger on 11/05/01
Undaunted by polls that point to a potential Democratic rout in the governor's race, Republican Bret Schundler vowed yesterday to make pollsters look foolish on Election Day, while Democrat Jim McGreevey suspended campaign stops to attend to his wife's troubled pregnancy.
At a Morris County rally attended by about 150 people, Schundler was joined by New York Gov. George Pataki and publisher Steve Forbes, who both predicted a GOP win tomorrow though most polls show Schundler trailing by double digits.
McGreevey was at his wife's side at St. Peter's University Hospital in New Brunswick, canceling the one event that remained on his schedule. Dina McGreevey, who is seven months pregnant, was hospitalized on Saturday and transferred to St. Peter's yesterday morning with a pregnancy complication, according to individuals familiar with her condition.
Campaign officials declined to discuss the situation and referred to a statement from Dina McGreevey's doctor on Saturday that described her condition as "completely stable." A St. Peter's spokeswoman confirmed yesterday that she was on the hospital's labor and delivery floor but declined further comment.
At the Morris County rally, held at a restaurant in Chester, Pataki recalled that when he won his first term in 1994, one poll two days before the election claimed he was behind by 17 points. He won by four points. "They were only off by 21," he said.
Schundler, appearing relaxed and confident, told the cheering crowd that he will repeat that feat by tapping support from a silent majority whose sentiments haven't been reflected in the polls.
"Tuesday's going to stand as one of the great upsets in political history," he said. "Jim McGreevey doesn't think it can happen, but he doesn't think we can get taxes down, either."
Democratic State Committee Chairman Joseph Roberts took over as McGreevey's surrogate on the campaign trail yesterday, touting the nominee's commitment to public education at a rally of roughly 100 people at Highland Park High School.
"In many ways, Tuesday's election will be a referendum on the future of our state and the future of public education," said Roberts, accusing Schundler of having "turned his back on the construction school bond issue" that seeks to improve and build new public schools.
Schundler has argued that the $8.6 billion in state borrowing for school construction should have been submitted for voter approval, and that his plan to provide tax incentives to encourage scholarships for public school students to attend private schools would reduce the need for new construction.
Barbara LaSaracina, New Jersey's Teacher of the Year, spoke at the rally, telling the crowd that though she was a "militant Republican," she was supporting McGreevey because she fears Schundler would drain money away from public schools.
Roberts, the Democratic chairman, also announced that the party has asked state and federal authorities to determine whether an effort was under way to suppress Latino votes in Passaic County. He expressed concern about a purportedly "official" bilingual mailing that warned Passaic City voters of penalties for fraudulent voting and told them, incorrectly, that that armed law-enforcement officials would be present at polling areas.
Roberts stopped short of laying blame for the mailing.
Earlier in the day, volunteers for both candidates converged on the Reo Diner in McGreevey's hometown of Woodbridge, where Schundler started a long day of campaigning. Angry shouts were exchanged outside. Inside, the restaurant adorned with McGreevey for Governor signs was jammed by Schundler and his entourage.
Schundler was joined at the diner by conservative radio talk show host Bob Grant, who lived in Woodbridge for 10 years before moving to Monmouth County. Grant said he was disappointed that the polls don't look better for Schundler, and scoffed at McGreevey's characterization of the Republican as an extremist.
"He would not have been elected in Jersey City two times if he was an extremist," said Grant. "He's a good person."
Officials with anti-abortion groups said yesterday that their members had converged on churches around the state yesterday to distribute literature that outlined Schundler's opposition to abortion and McGreevey's support for abortion rights.
Catholic Alliance President Larry Cirignano said the literature was distributed at nearly 700 Catholic churches around the state. And Liz Tate, legislative liaison for Concerned Women for America of New Jersey, said a coalition of anti-abortion and conservative groups known as the NJ Roundtable had distributed roughly 500,000 voter guides during the past two weeks to churches, religious bookstores and other sites.
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