Pat Dollard | Young Americans

AP: Christie Gives GOP Stunning Win In N.J.

By Defeating Corzine, Former U.S. Attorney Deals Big Blow To President Obama, Who Carried The State Easily In 2008

NEW YORK (AP) ―In the end, all the stumping in the world from the President of the United States wasn’t going to stop regime change in New Jersey’s highest office.

Republican Chris Christie ended Democrat Jon Corzine’s four-year run in Trenton with a narrow victory on Tuesday, The Associated Press projected. Independent Chris Daggett, thought of by many as the wildcard who could upset the order of things by siphoning off votes from Christie, finished well back.

With 4,507 of 6,305 precincts reporting, Christie led Corzine 50 percent to 44 percent.

Independent voters gave President Barack Obama a huge advantage in the state last year, but they heavily favored Christie on Tuesday.

Voters said their top concerns were the economy and jobs, followed by property taxes. Voters who said the economy was important favored Corzine, while voters who said taxes mattered most supported Christie.

Christie’s win will likely be perceived as a big defeat for the White House. President Obama and Vice President Joe Biden had stumped for Corzine several times during the campaign, and they had hoped the result would speak positively to the job they are doing in Washington.

In New Jersey, 60 percent of voters said Obama was not a factor in their vote. For those voters who said Obama was a factor, 19 percent said their vote for governor was to support him, while 20 percent said it was to express opposition.

In all, 38 percent of Corzine voters said their vote for the incumbent was to express support for Obama, while 59 percent said Obama was not a factor.

Among Christie backers, 39 percent said their vote for governor was to oppose the president.

High taxes, high unemployment, and high stakes was the theme of Election Day across the country. Voters were forced to make tough choices, with the most contentious race occurring in New Jersey in what was expected to be a tight race for the governor’s chair.

It lived up to the advance billing.

The incumbent has been criss-crossing the state with last-minute campaigning.

“I feel like we’ve got a lot of momentum to come from behind and I think we’re still moving positively,” he said.

Polls show a dead heat in a state that tends to vote for Democrats. Some thought Daggett would spoil the face for Christie.

“I think now the voting is in the hands of the independents frankly,” Daggett said.

Christie reached out to disgruntled property owners across the state.

“We feel really good about the message we’ve given to the people of New Jersey. Today is the day for change. I think the public is ready for that,” he said.

Many New Jerseyans said they were eager for change in a state where property taxes are causing so much unrest.

“I’m struggling to pay my rent. I couldn’t stay in my house, I couldn’t afford it, not with the taxes the way they were,” said “Jeanie,” a Paramus resident who withheld her last name.

Ken Torsland, a Vietnam vet, told CBS 2 HD he was voting Republican across the board, save for a Democrat who is a friend. It’s a referendum, he said, on President Obama’s administration.

“I think Democrats are showing a total disregard to what I hear from friends, family, and people who surround me,” he said.

Other said they want to keep the status quo during tough economic times.

“I think Mr. Corzine is more equipped to handle it,” one voter said.

The race for governor of New Jersey was one of three bitter battles the White House was monitoring. The other two were the race for governor of Virginia, won by Republican Bob McDonnell and a duel for Congress in upstate New York.