Topic: Decline of the West
New Jersey and Virginia will be electing governors next month, and both races bear close watching.
In Virginia, the Republican candidate holds a comfortable, perhaps commanding, lead over his Democratic opponent. A GOP win in the Old Dominion, which has been shifting from red to purple in recent years, would certainly be a blow to the Democrats and a bad sign for Barack Obama. But New Jersey is really the one to watch.
In the Garden State, the GOP challenger, Chris Christie, is clinging to a narrow lead over the unpopular incumbent, Democrat Jon Corzine. But New Jersey is the most azure of Democratic Party strongholds, with powerful unions and a big Democrat advantage in voter registration. Nor has Christie proved to be the most adroit of candidates.Still, he has several things going for him, not least among them New Jersey's parlous economic condition, sky-high taxes and culture of corruption. So he has a real shot at unseating Corzine—and it that happens, expect to to see signs of panic among congressional Democrats as they prepare to face the voters in 2010.
