Search Salon

- - - - - - - - - - - -

Recently in Salon News

The seeds of Seattle
As anti-globalization protesters ask themselves, "Where do we go from here?" Seattle enters the lexicon of civil disobedience.
By Bruce Shapiro
[12/08/99]

Al Gore takes on challenger online
The vice president takes his aggressive attacks on Bill Bradley into cyberspace.
By Jake Tapper
[12/08/99]

Day of the Jackal
A young punk who lives on the streets of Los Angeles tried to make his mark during the WTO protests in Seattle.
By Bill Donahue
[12/08/99]

London fog
How Tony Blair, loony leftists and a sex scandal around a charismatic author turned the London mayor's race into a political-party nightmare.
By Elkan Allan
[12/08/99]

The congressman from Columbine
For Colorado Rep. Tom Tancredo, reelection seemed inevitable -- until tragedy struck Littleton.
By Jake Tapper
[12/07/99]

Complete archives for News

- - - - - - - - - - - -

- - - - - - - - - - - -

The list of potential GOP nominees thus far includes Rep. Bob Franks, state Sen. Bill Gormley, former Libertarian candidate for governor Murray Sabrin and Essex County executive James Treffinger. If Whitman was scared by the mere thought of raising $17 million to win the election, imagine the challenge that these candidates with lesser name recognition face.

Meanwhile, the rumors flying about Len Coleman considering a run are still just rumors. This former president of Major League Baseball's National League and African-American Republican could very well be the party's last hope.

"Lots of Republicans are irked that Whitman took as long as she did" before backing out, says Neese.

Also, according to one New Jersey congressional source, "many of the candidates for the Republican nomination are mad at her because she's created a fund-raising problem." During the existence of her exploratory committee, Whitman raised more than $2 million from generous campaign contributions. Now, though some of the money has been returned, there is a general sense that these sources are tapped out as a slew of little-known candidates scramble to raise every last dime.

"Clearly we lost our best candidate," says Weitzner, "and we would have had a better shot if Whitman was the one."

Adding to the Republicans' problems is the state's proximity to one of the hottest races in the country. The New York Senate race pitting Mayor Rudy Giuliani against Hillary Rodham Clinton may even overshadow the presidential race. If so, the election next door will hardly register a blip on the media's radar screen.

This lack of attention, lack of money (especially acute if the Democratic opponent is the self-financed multimillionaire Corzine) and lack of high-profile candidates will likely hinder chances for a Republican victory.

It isn't often that a New Jersey Senate seat is left wide open -- incumbents in the Garden State have an impressive reelection record. In fact, only two senators have been ousted while in office in about half a century. The last Republican senator to be elected in New Jersey was Clifford Case in 1972. Given the way next year's race is shaping up, you'd have to say that Case may hold that distinction well into the next millennium.
salon.com | Dec. 8, 1999

- - - - - - - - - - - -

- - - - - - - - - - - -

  Get a printer-friendly version

  E-mail a friend about this article

  Backflip this article to find it again

- - - - - - - - - - - -

Search Salon