NJ Gov's Ads Target Opponent's Waistline

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.

Troupe threatens to sue Republican over pirated video footage

(NEWSER) - Republican Chris Christie holds a razor-thin lead over incumbent Jon Corzine in the New Jersey governor's race, and now he has five more potential opponents—the members of Monty Python, who are considering suing the former US Attorney for violating their copyright. An online ad the campaign swiftly yanked from its websites after the Huffington Post blew the whistle uses footage of Michael Palin without credit. 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»

Image of corruption-busting prosecutor plays well in recession

(NEWSER) - US attorneys have been a sore subject for Republicans since the Bush administration's politically motivated dismissal of eight prosecutors in 2006. But in the Obama age, the office is becoming a wellspring of strong Republican candidates, Politico reports. The current climate of public distrust toward government and financial institutions means prosecutors with reputations for even-handed integrity are attractive to voters. More»