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Whitman breaks her silence, strongly endorses Schundler
Originally appeared in the Bergen Record on Thursday, October 25, 2001
PARSIPPANY, N.J. -- Republican Bret Schundler got the biggest endorsement so far in his campaign for governor Wednesday night as former Gov. Christie Whitman lavished him and his wife, Lynn, with generous praise before a cheering audience of Republicans.
Whitman, now chief of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, broke what some considered a too-long silence to back the GOP standard-bearer, who had beaten a preferred party candidate in the June primary.
She did it without reservation at the campaign event, saying Schundler is better than Democrat Jim McGreevey on the bedrock issues for her party: tax cuts, education, and public safety. Whitman said Schundler has devoted his campaign to addressing these points adding, "We know we can believe him when he says that."
Schundler appeared genuinely moved by the support and began his speech by quipping, "If I was smart, I would sit down right now."
Earlier in Trenton, national abortion-rights leader Kate Michelman came to the State House to join Republican women in condemning Schundler's candidacy because of his positions against abortion.
Michelman and the political action wing of the National Abortion and Reproductive Rights Action League, or NARAL, endorsed McGreevey.
Schundler has said tax cuts and education -- and, in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 attacks, leadership quality -- are vastly more important to New Jersey voters than a candidate's personal, spiritual views on matters such as abortion.
But Michelman said Schundler poses a specific and direct threat to abortion rights because he would sign laws and restrict funding in order to reduce access to abortion with the ultimate goal of repealing it altogether.
"Mr. Schundler believes it is the government's role to dictate whether or not a woman should have the choice to terminate a pregnancy. Mr. Schundler's position flies in the face of New Jersey's proud history of moderation," Michelman said, including Republican Whitman and Tom Kean.
Michelman said the New Jersey organization would call and send mail to 300,000 women on the issue, including 100,000 Republicans and independents.
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