Nov 2, 2009 6:03 am US/Eastern
As Election Day Nears, Candidates Turn Up The Heat
Reporting
Jay Dow
TRENTON (CBS) ―
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New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine
CBS
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New York City's 2009 Mayoral Candidates, Michael Bloomberg (left) and William Thompson
CBS
It's the final weekend before Election Day, and the candidates for New York City mayor and New Jersey governor were out in force vying for votes.
Even President Obama chose to come to New Jersey, which speaks to how close and how important the governor's race is for Democrats. A win for Republican candidate Chris Christie over Jon Corzine would certainly solidify his growing stature in the Garden State, but it would also give Republicans a boost, who see the governor's races in New Jersey and Virginia as referenda on the president.
Mr. Obama was scheduled to appear at a pair of rallies in Camden and Newark.
The unpopular governor's race between Corzine and Christie, a corruption-busting former federal prosecutor, has been relentless. The race has tightened to a dead heat after months of negative campaigning by both sides.
And on Saturday, the gloves were off.
"Mr. Christie is loose and free with the truth on a repeated basis," Corzine said.
"Corzine has spent over $25 million in negative ads trying to make you all scared of what a Christie administration would look like. Let me ask you a question: how much worse can I do?" Christie said.
Political analysts said Corzine now may be poised to pull an upset and keep the state in Democratic hands.
Chris Daggett, a moderate independent in the race, has surprised the political establishment by becoming a factor, and maybe a spoiler, partly because of his plan to reduce property taxes by 25-percent.
Meanwhile, Mayor Bloomberg and his rival William Thompson, Jr. were gearing up for a final frenzy of campaigning before Tuesday.
Bloomberg is pushing what he's done running the Big Apple, and Thompson has been heavily stumping in his home borough of Brooklyn, and in Washington Heights.
He's also picked up the endorsement of minority law enforcement groups.
As for Mayor Bloomberg, he had a number of campaign appearances Saturday before ending the night at a banquet at the Waldorf-Astoria.
Recent polls show Bloomberg holding a double-digit lead in his quest for a third term.
Bloomberg and Thompson were taking two very different approaches to campaigning. Bloomberg had just three events on this schedule, beginning with the New York City Marathon. Thompson had no fewer than seven stops scheduled for Sunday, including four church services.
(© MMX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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