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TagsBY TOM HESTER SR.
NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM
UPDATED
Former Republican Gov. Tom Kean, one of New Jersey's most popular public figures, Tuesday called on Gov. Jon Corzine and his re-election campaign to halt what he described as negative ads about Republican challenger Chris Christie and to begin talking about issues facing the state.
"The Corzine campaign seems nastier, he's got so much money to spend,'' Kean said in a conference call to reporters. "The philosophy is if the governor is not popular enough throw muck. Maybe the governor will have a change of heart. I‘m looking for the governor to defend his record and make proposals. Chris Christie has to continue making proposals and show a difference in philosophy. I've read Chris Christie's higher education platform. It's pretty good. I don‘t think the governor had had anything to say at this point. Maybe that will change.''
Asked if the incident in which Christie was stopped for speeding by Lambertville police while U.S. Attorney and found to be driving an unregistered and uninsured care is an ethics issue, Kean replied, "Traffic tickets are not what I had in mind as issues. It does not seem to me to really mean much in a campaign. Both candidates have speeded time to time and it is something they regret. There are a lot more important things than that.''
Kean, who is honorary chairman of Christie's campaign, said he wants to see Corzine discuss the issues of high property and inheritance taxes as well as restoring the state's economy and halting the population drain."I'm a bit upset that there has not been any meaningful debate but it looks like the governor has changed his mind on that (a candidates' debate) and that's hopeful,'' Kean said. "I hope the candidates can get on the issues. The public doesn't like it (attack ads) and I don't like it.‘'
Kean said the way he sees it, the polls released Tuesday that show Christie ahead of Corzine by 5 to 10 percentage points indicates that potential voters are not accepting Corzine campaign ads that question Christie's ethics as U.S. Attorney for New Jersey.
But Kean also noted that with Corzine presently outspending Christie by a 10 to 1 margin and with two months remaining in the gubernatorial campaign, the Democratic incumbent should not be counted out.
Kean described New Jersey voters as very independent and pointed out that although President Bush was not popular in the state, voters elected him governor twice, and supported Republicans Christie Whitman for governor and Gerald Ford and Ronald Reagan for president.
Responding to Kean's criticism, Elizabeth Smith, a Corzine campaign spokeswoman, said, "Given the last three weeks of the campaign, it's no surprise that Christie's campaign would like to change the topic by quibbling over debates rather than addressing Christie's long record of having one set of rules for himself and another for=2 0everyone else.
"But the facts don't lie — while Governor Corzine has made dozens and dozens of public appearances in recent weeks, Christie has all but hidden from the press and deflected serious questions about his ethical conduct — including failing to disclose a loan to a subordinate at the U.S. attorney's office as required by law and launching his gubernatorial campaign from the U.S. Attorney's office with the help of Bush's brain, Karl Rove."