Blue Jersey

U.S. Senator Jon Corzine handily beat Doug Forrester in New Jersey's race for governor. The Democrat won 53% to 44% thanks to strong turnout from his base in key North Jersey urban counties and adjacent suburban districts. The strong showing by union voters gave Mr. Corzine a somewhat bigger win than last-week's tightening polls suggested.

Mr. Corzine portrayed himself as "Mr. Clean" -- an outsider who could sanitize the state from its notorious and bipartisan corruption problems. Mr. Forrester countered by trying to paint Mr. Corzine as a corrupt force in the mold of state Democratic Party bosses. Both candidates are multimillionaires and financed their own campaigns. They spent a combined $53 million on the general election alone, and most of it went to television ads. Indeed, the race played out for couch potatoes who by the end complained of fatigue, especially when things turned ugly in the campaign's final weeks. Only TiVo owners were spared.

The candidates' money also allowed them to bypass the state's political machines and grass roots. Each spent heavily to buy the support of party bosses in the primaries and then campaigned on the boob tube from June onwards. Few VFWs and union halls saw a candidate.

Speculation follows Mr. Corzine as he starts the transition. He'll have to appoint his successor to the U.S. Senate. Acting Governor Dick Cody would love it, as would several now salivating congressmen. Mr. Corzine is also widely believed to be eyeing the White House, and a 9-point victory is respectable if not exactly a blowout. But criticism of his extramarital relationship with Carla Katz, head of the state's biggest public employees union, will certainly return when the state workers contract expires.

The state Republican Party will be licking its wounds for a while. This governor's race has seen the second defeats meted out to each of its two best-known candidates, Mr. Forrester (he also lost a U.S. Senate race) and Bret Schundler (he lost this year's primary and the last governor's race). The legislature is firmly in Democratic hands and Mr. Corzine, should he run and be re-elected for a second term, will get to choose several state Supreme Court justices. New Jersey is firmly blue for the time being.