(West Orange, October 5, 2001) - On the heals of a poll showing that Hudson County is up for grabs in this year’s gubernatorial election, the Schundler for Governor campaign released a thirty second television commercial targeted to appeal directly to voters in this overwhelmingly Democratic county.

“This week’s New Jersey City University survey shows that over half of Hudson County voters remain undecided in this year’s race for governor. And the future prospects for McGreevey don’t look promising because the Hudson County Democratic machine is in tatters due to an on-going federal corruption probe by the FBI of County Executive Bob Janiszewski and his associates. This survey proves what we have been saying all along, if Bret Schundler can remain competitive in the Democratic stronghold of Hudson County, it will be impossible for Jim McGreevey to win the governorship in November,” Schundler campaign manager Bill Pascoe said.

No Democratic candidate for statewide office has won an election in New Jersey without achieving a 30,000- vote plurality from Hudson County.

The NJCU poll of 200 registered voters in Hudson County shows that 55% of voters remain undecided in the governor’s race, prompting poll supervisors Dr. Fran Moran and Dr. Bruce Chadwick to conclude that, “the county is wide open as far as the governor’s race goes.”

The Schundler television ad, entitled “Hudson’s Own,” features the two-term mayor of Jersey City walking in his neighborhood while touting his record of controlling property taxes, reducing crime, improving education, and bringing new jobs to Hudson County. Schundler pledges that if elected governor, he would continue to live in Jersey City rather than “some mansion near Trenton,” which refers to Drumthwacket -- the official gubernatorial mansion in Mercer County.

“Bret Schundler has always said that if elected, he would continue to live in Jersey City. Hudson County is his home. His wife, Lynn, serves on several active philanthropic boards and his daughter attends school in Hudson County. His family enjoys living in an ethnically diverse urban community, and they want to continue to raise their family in Hudson County,” Pascoe said.

As mayor of the Hudson County’s largest city for nine years, Schundler kept city taxes stable, reduced crime by almost 40%, and brought 30,000 new jobs to the city’s bustling waterfront and inner-city business districts. Despite being a Republican, Schundler won his last two mayoral bids in the Democratic stronghold of Jersey City with 69 percent and 58 percent of the vote respectively.

The 30-second television ad is running on selected cable systems in Hudson County.

"Hudson County's Own," As Governor, Bret Schundler Will Live in Jersey City