New Jersey

The biggest question among New Jersey Democrats is: Should Jon Corzine win the governor's race this November, how will his rivalry with current Acting Governor and Senate President Richard Codey stir up state politics? At issue is Mr. Corzine's U.S. Senate seat. There's no doubt that his seat will remain in Democratic hands -- he'll return to the Senate if he loses. If he wins, he'll appoint his own successor, and his rival, Mr. Codey, says he wants the job.

William Penn's vision for a war-free New World didn't consider the menacing boogeyman called "costal zone management." The State of Delaware, once part of Mr. Penn's colonial landholdings, has seized upon this obscure body of law to launch a NIMBY war against economic development plans on neighboring New Jersey's side of the Delaware River.

New Jersey's two gubernatorial candidates, Republican Doug Forrester and Democrat Jon Corzine, both say the key to a healthy budget is ending the financial shenanigans that they call the "corruption tax." A good place to start would be the state's under-funded and over-abused employee pension plan.

PLAINSBORO, N.J. -- Doug Forrester won the New Jersey Republican primary for governor, beating his closest rival, Bret Schundler, by five percentage points in a light-turnout election. One issue dominated the campaign: Soaring property taxes.

New Jersey holds its primary for governor today. Democrat Jon Corzine faces no serious opposition. Among the seven Republicans, businessman Doug Forrester and former Jersey City mayor Bret Schundler are leading the pack. Recent Quinnipiac polls have Mr. Forrester widening and then losing much of his lead over Mr. Schundler. Mr. Forrester now leads by two points, down from 11 points less than a week ago.

The field of seven Republican candidates for New Jersey governor held their first televised debate Sunday. For the five playing catch-up to front-runners Doug Forrester and Bret Schundler, the debate was their first chance to prove their conservative bona fides to a state-wide audience. The primary is June 7.

Former Jersey City Mayor Bret Schundler has played a successful David to New Jersey's political machine Goliath for years. But there's one foe that always got the best of him: the teacher's union. Maybe that's why in his second run for the governorship, he's no longer talking up school choice, his signature issue for years. Instead, his current campaign for the GOP nomination is focused on ethics and property taxes, making him sound a lot like his Republican rival, Doug Forrester. Even the likely Democratic nominee, Jon Corzine, is promoting similar stances.

With New Jersey's gubernatorial primary about a month away, the leading Republican candidates are coming into view. Good thing for the front-runner that it's tough to quote the crickets in print.

Sen. Jon Corzine wants to party like it's ... 2007. That's the year his Senate term ends. Problem is, he's running for New Jersey governor now and needs to donate loads of money to state political causes to win friends and influence party bosses. He told the Federal Election Commission that because his future interest is state, not federal, office, he should be subject to the higher state fund-raising caps. No way, the FEC ruled. As a current federal office holder, Mr. Corzine is bound by federal political contribution limits. Hey, John McCain, you finally caught a "special interest."