We both want to link the (for-now) Governor of New Jersey to the President. Admittedly, their reasons are not ours; but that’s why we have elections. And the White House is worried about this one, to the point that they brought in Corzine to discuss it with Rahm Emanuel:
A senior Obama administration official familiar with the meeting said Emanuel did not express concern with the Corzine campaign, but rather wanted to gather intelligence on Corzine’s gameplan as the governor sought advice and help from the Obama political operation. The administration official, who requested anonymity when discussing the private meeting, said the president and national party leadership are well aware Corzine is in a tough fight, but believe he will be able to turn it around – particularly with core Democratic voters – as he begins to campaign heavily this summer.
“We’re invested in this victory and we’re confident of it,” the official said.
Asked about the discussions, Corzine campaign spokesman Sean Darcy said in a statement today: “The Vice President’s two recent visits here mere days ago entirely disproves this gossip item.”
He declined to elaborate.
Ace is being cynical about the actual vs. reported results of this November’s race, but it’s not actually that bad. NJ does in fact elect Republicans. Republicans that can drive the rest of the party insane at times, but Republicans none the less. They can especially elect Republicans in a year where the incumbent is deeply unpopular and the race is more than a bit of distraction from Virginia’s, which is not going to be an easy (or even likely) retrain for the Democrats.
Besides, money’s tight. All the way down the line.
Moe Lane
PS: Chris Christie for Governor.
Crossposted to RedState.