Drumthwacket’s Next Resident

The governor's race here in New Jersey will be decided in about two-and-a-half weeks, and while some Princeton students have been active on the campaign trail, there is evidence that these campaigns have had difficulty attracting students' attention. Below are the current endorsements for the governor’s race to help those still deciding. Recent polls show incumbent Democratic Gov. Jon Corzine and Republican Chris Christie within one percentage point of each other, and the newspaper endorsements appear to reflect this split.

On Sunday, The New York Times endorsed Corzine, writing that he “is a decent man with a laudable set of goals for his state.” This endorsement is good news for Corzine, as the Times has successfully picked the winning candidate in nine of the last 12 governor’s races in the state. The Philadelphia Inquirer also endorsed Corzine.

On the other hand, New Jersey’s largest newspaper, The Star-Ledger, has endorsed independent candidate Chris Daggett. The Star-Ledger billed its endorsement as “less a rejection of Gov. Jon Corzine and Republican Chris Christie than a repudiation of the parties they represent, both of which have forfeited any claim to the trust and confidence of the people of New Jersey.” The Star-Ledger endorsed Corzine for governor back in 2005.

Finally, the Courier News and the Home News Tribune have endorsed Chris Christie. The papers serve Somerset and Middlesex counties, respectively, the two counties to the northeast of Mercer County. They note that “another four years of Corzine as governor is about the worst thing that could happen to New Jersey.”