Jim Geraghty received this email from a reader in New Jersey:
“FYI, my son, who is a registered Democrat, got a call last night from a poll taker asking how he would vote if the candidate were Corzine? Or [Newark Mayor] Cory Booker? Maybe the Dems are getting ready to throw him overboard?”
And Booker isn’t the only one (New York Times): “. . . another potential Democratic candidate emerged on Friday, as Representative Frank Pallone Jr. let it be known he would step in should Mr. Corzine bow out.”
All of this is in reaction to Corzine’s complete inability to make any headway against Chris Christie, and a massive corruption scandal that just happens to have landed several of Corzine’s allies in prison. Corzine has become so toxic in New Jersey – a state that prides itself on its tolerance of toxicity – that other Democrats running “for other offices were talking about breaking publicly with him to maintain their own election viability.”
Thus, local Democrats in New Jersey are stuck in a perilous bind. They must either run without Corzine, or against Corzine. Either way, Corzine’s great asset – his vast personal fortune and willingness to use it – has no value whatsoever; this means a whole slew of New Jersey Democrats will be desperate for money they didn’t think they needed (including, perhaps, a new gubernatorial nominee).
That will be felt by Virginia Democrats, who will see a lot of money promised to them diverted north.
[...] that the Republicans have the edge in the NJ Governor’s race, and Rothenberg notes that the switcheroo option is far less likely this year, because . . . Corzine, who didn’t come up through the [...]