Neck and Neck In Final Stretch of N.J. Governor's Race

[brooklynite]

(Woodbridge-WABC, November 7, 2005) - In New Jersey's bitter race for governor, it's the last day for candidates to trade blows.

Doug Forrester will campaign today with George Pataki by his side, hoping to chip away at Jon Corzine's lead. For both candidates, winning the support of independent voters is the key to winning this election.

The latest Quinnipiac poll released today shows Democrat Jon Corzine with a 52 percent to 45 percent lead. The poll has a margin of error of 3.5 percent.

The independent Quinnipiac University survey shows Republicans back Forrester 90 to 9 percent, while Democrats back Corzine 90 to 9 percent and independent voters back the Republican 49 to 46 percent.

http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/story?section=nj&id=3611706

[LiberalEsto]

1. If my brother-in-law, the Green Party candidate

draws off enough votes to cost Corzine this election,
I will never speak to him again.

[soleft]

2. 7 point lead being portrayed as neck and neck

I hate this goddamn corporate whore media

[boredofeducation]

30. $100 Supporters!

That is what Forrester Campaign paid minorities to hold up signs for him at a rally! To make his campaign look like it appealed to more than just whites. A reporter asked one of the sign holders who they were voting for, and the lady wasn't sure! (she was holding a sign for Forrester!)

[Starbucks Anarchist]

32. And yet 51%-48% is a "mandate."

:eyes:

[maximovich]

3. How Is 52-45 Neck & Neck?

That's a pretty good lead in my book.

[underpants]

5. Same people who think 73-27 is a tie

as in Enron contributions to Republicans-Democrats.

Math, not their strongsuit.

[maximovich]

7. Publicly Saying It's Close, But Why?

I say they are setting the public up, so that the public will not raise it's collective eye-brow when the numbers flip for the GOP candidate. This is the same shit they have been pulling across the country for the last three elections.

[underpants]

12. Va.-today "Bush to widen the gap between the two"

W is showing back up here in Va. (literally touching down out at the airport, holding a meeting, and then leaving) to support the empty suit who is Kilgore. The local NBC station (that everyone watches) said the above quote this morning....see here's the thing-Kaine is ahead in all the polls. It is very tight and within the margin or error but Kilgore's campaign is ACTING like they are in the lead.

I sense something bad about to happen.

[Arugula Latte]

18. Well, maybe he meant widen the gap by pushing Kilgore farther down

Eh - probably not ... :eyes:

[wordpix]

20. Bush'll widen the gap all right---in Dems' favor. Who wants Chimp on his

side?

[BattyDem]

24. That's what's scaring me

A 7 point lead is not "neck and neck" yet the media keeps making it sound like a dead heat. They're stealing this one ... I know it. :scared:

[Laura PourMeADrink]

21. Well, with Republican rigging, you have to have an astounding

margin so that people won't believe it when the election is rigged the other way.

In 2008, I think we need a 20 point buffer

[sleipnir]

6. Margin of error makes it neck and neck

Besides, the media has to cover the election rigging that will be certain to happen. Now, they infect the minds of the masses with the idea that it is neck in neck, tomorrow they'll say it's a Forrester win. That's how they do it, and it will be done again.

[maximovich]

10. I Am Not Buying It...

I've seen this before.

[OrangeCountyDemocrat]

14. DIEBOLD MAKES IT NECK AND NECK

The repub will win....that is my prediction, though I hope I'm wrong. It's already been decided.

[AndyTiedye]

13. A 7 Point Lead For DEMOCRATS IS Neck-and-Neck...

...while a 7-point lead for Rethuglicans is a safe lead.

Because the Rethuglicans own the voting machinez.

[Mass]

4. 7 points is "neck to neck"? I wonder for whom ABC is rooting.

[ananda]

9. It even beats the margin of error.

It looks like Corzine is going to be a winner.

Still.. NJ Dems should make sure the vote gets out, and watch those election stations!!!

Sue

[napi21]

8. I heard about this on the Hot Line report on cspan this AM.

Said it has turned in to a very, very nasty campaign in the last weeks. I also watched Corzine/Forrester debate last (rerun of the actual debate on Sat.). It damn near turned into a free-for-all!

I've rarely seen or heard Corzine very often and never heard Forrester before last night. Forrester is a very arrogant show-off! I've also heard that NJ politics has been pretty corrupt for many years, so I guess we'll have to wait and see what happens tomorrow.

[brooklynite]

17. Take a look at my diary on Dkos...

for a review of the mudslinging.

http://cbastian.dailykos.com/story/2005/11/6/16646/6263

[Chovexani]

31. I was so fucking disgusted by that

That ad Forrester ran was about the sleaziest thing I've seen in politics in a long time. Utterly desperate and disgusting. I don't even live in NJ and I wish I did just so I could vote against that jerk.

I'll just be real glad come Wednesday, I'm sick of seeing Forrester's slimy face on my tv.

[AlinPA]

11. With republican-voting machines, don't be surprised if they steal it.

[OrangeCountyDemocrat]

15. I'm Afraid It's A Done Deal....Press Getting Ready For Big Poll Swing nt

[boredofeducation]

33. Never Underestimate

Never Underestimate of the power of the politcal machine in New Jersey.

[brooklynite]

16. The reason they're saying "Neck and Neck"...

is because, notwithstanding the new polling results, the race has been colse up to now, with neither candidate hitting over 50%. "Neck and neck" is more exciting and hopefully delivers a bigger audience for advertisers.

nb - while I don't admire the general content choices of local and network news programs, I don't subscribe to the conspiracy theory that they're tilting the coverage for political goals, if for no other reason than the RW'ers make exactly the same claim. Fundamentally, they're interested in playing up what ever to attarct and keep audience share for their advertisers.

[yellowcanine]

19. Neck and neck if Forrester is a giraffe. 7 points ain't no neckedness.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

22. lol - I love that word "neckedness"

[yellowcanine]

25. Yeah, I was kind of proud of it myself. I like the way is almost like

nekkidness (nakedness) - just a little sophomoric homonymity!

[underpants]

23. I believe they spun W's 7 point trailing as something like neck and neck

remember that? remember how W was "coming storng" in NJ? Remember how no mention was made that NJ, PA, and Michigan were already decided?

I also remember none of those states being declared until right before they declared W the winner. See it all makes sense everything was red anyway.

[hallc]

26. Have you seen the commercials?

Every 2 minutes there is one - the one that pisses me off the most is the one with "democrats" saying they are voting for forrester. boo NJ.

[boredofeducation]

29. his first commercial was debunked

Forrester had a "democrat" who was actually a republican, and he was indicted for corruption charges as a republican! That was so funny when that was found out.

[unblock]

27. translation: "close enough to steal"

if forrester were up by the same margin, they would be saying they had it all locked up....

[skooooo]

28. Candidates make final push before vote

http://www.cnn.com/2005/POLITICS/11/07/election.rdp.ap/index.html?section=cnn_us

(AP) -- A pair of big-spending, notably nasty races for governor in Virginia and New Jersey entered their final hours Monday, as candidates made last-minute blitzes and brought in political heavy-hitters to help campaign.

In New Jersey, Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Corzine and Republican Doug Forrester spent the day stumping for votes in coffee shops, train stations and senior citizen centers after a week dominated by allegations of infidelity and corruption.

A Quinnipiac Poll released Monday gave Corzine a slight edge, 53 percent to 45 percent. The Star-Ledger/Eagleton-Rutgers Poll put the two closer, with Corzine leading 43 percent to 37 percent.

Forrester, who swept through diners and coffee shops with New York Gov. George Pataki, described his mood as "pumped."

[bunny planet]

34. I think they've still got the old lever machines in my precinct but I

think this is the last election they'll be using them. 2006, computerized voting in the state of NJ.
:scared:
I'm pretty sure we convinced the freeholder's in my county to order machines with paper not vapor though to comply with HAVA. Not sure whether or not they got the kind with two paper receipts, one to verify the other though. It hadn't been decided yet last time I was following up on it. Time to look into it.

Jersey is at least 65% anti-Bush in the polls, so stealing the gubernatorial election would be mighty risky, doesn't mean they won't try it though.

[salin]

35. odd - calling 52 (Corzine) to 45 "neck and neck"

interesting. Wonder if this local station still refers to W* as a "popular president"?

[Judi Lynn]

36. The New York Times is calling it a "Dead Heat!"

Virginians Sprint as Polls Show Dead Heat

By JAMES DAO
Published: November 8, 2005
RICHMOND, Va., Nov. 7 - On their final day of campaigning in what the polls and political observers agree is an extremely close race, the Democratic and Republican candidates for governor in Virginia skipped across the length of the state on Monday while embracing the men they hope will help them win.

The Republican, former Attorney General Jerry Kilgore, appeared at a rally at the airport here with President Bush after spending much of the afternoon campaigning with Senator George Allen and attacking the Democratic rival, Lt. Gov. Tim Kaine, as too liberal for Virginia.

"If you want to keep your taxes low and your economy growing, there's only one person in the race that will do that and that's Jerry Kilgore," Mr. Bush told the crowd at the airport here.

Though Mr. Kilgore has not identified himself closely with Mr. Bush, even skipping the president's recent speech in Norfolk on terrorism, his campaign has clearly calculated that although Mr. Bush's approval rating here has slipped below 50 percent in some polls, he continues to enjoy strong enough support among core Republicans to get them to the polls on Tuesday.
(snip/...)

Virginians Sprint as Polls Show Dead Heat

[Mr_Jefferson_24]

37. Does anyone know if...

bookies in Vegas (or anywhere) are willing to make odds on elections anymore?

[Punkingal]

38. What is with the independents....

I just don't understand how more of them can be backing the Republican candidate! Damn!