NJ Gov Hopeful Runs Afoul of Monty Python

Polling guru gives a post-mortem on last night's elections

(NEWSER) - The numbers are in, now it's time to make sense of them. Nate Silver breaks down last night's election results:

• Don’t blame Obama; Creigh Deeds and Jon Corzine were probably just weak candidates. In New Jersey, 57% of voters approved of Obama, but 27% of those supporters voted Republican anyway. In Virginia 20% of those who approved of Obama voted GOP.
• Democrats had turnout problems in Virginia; the voters who came out last night supported McCain 51-43 in 2008, a mirror image of that year's margin.

Turnout is pivotal in race between Corzine, Christie

(NEWSER) - It remains a tight race for governor in New Jersey between Democrat Jon Corzine and Republican Chris Christie. Jonathan Martin of Politico offers five things to watch:

• Turnout: If it's below 48% or so, that means trouble for Corzine. It's a sign he hasn't mobilized the Democratic base, particularly minorities, to vote.
• Corzine's key areas: He needs a combined margin of victory of 100,000 votes in the Camden, Newark, and Jersey City regions.

Calls NJ governor key to his own agenda

(AP) - In a final campaign swing on behalf of the only governor seeking re-election this fall, President Obama today pitched Democratic Gov. Jon Corzine's bid as key to the White House's ability to make good on its political promises. "He's one of the best partners I have in the White House. We work together," Obama said. "We know our work is far from over." More»

GOP candidate predicts he'll be a 'big fat winner'

(NEWSER) - Chris Christie slammed Jon Corzine’s for hinting at his weight in campaign ads and comments, saying the incumbent governor should “man up” and call him fat directly. Corzine has run ads showing Christie’s belly in slow-mo, and, when asked whether he thought his opponent was fat earlier this month, responded: “Am I bald?” “If you’re going to do it,” Christie said of that incident. “At least man up and say I’m fat.” More»

He's now up by only 1 point in the latest polls

(NEWSER) - Gov. Jon Corzine's strategy of running an ad that calls attention to challenger Chris Christie’s girth may be paying off: 19% of New Jersey voters said Christie’s weight made them less likely to vote for him, while 11% said it was a “legitimate campaign issue,” a new poll shows. While the precise effect is debatable, the race is getting closer: The poll has Republican Christie up 40%-39% over Corzine, a drop from his lead of 44%-35% last month, notes Talking Points Memo. More»