Jun 2, 2009 12:51 pm US/Eastern
Low Turnout For New Jersey Primaries
Reporting
Jay Dow
TRENTON (CBS) ―
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Chris Christie (file)
usdoj.gov
Turnout is light for the New Jersey Primary, where voters are casting their ballots for the Republican challenger to Democratic Governor Jon Corzine.
Chris Christie exuded the subtle confidence of a frontrunner, and Steve Lonegan continued to be the aggressive underdog, saying he wasn't paying any attention to the polls.
Lonegan proudly mentions his tenure as mayor of Bogota in Bergen County, where he made his name, and crafted his conservative approach to Republican politics.
His take: trailing former federal prosecutor Chris Christie in the polls means nothing on New Jersey Primary Day.
"This election is a fight for the heart and soul of the Republican Party. Is the Republican Party going to be the party of conservative values and limited government, low taxes, and individual liberty? Or is this going to be the party of the "me-too" Republicans of the past, and the same failed policies of the past?" Lonegan said.
Chris Christie, perhaps well aware of how traditionally low turnout in New Jersey primaries can result in nail-biting unpredictability, insists he isn't taking Lonegan lightly.
"Steve Lonegan has been a very formidable opponent," he said.
However, Christie has Governor Corzine in his sights.
His ammunition? New Jersey's shaky finances.
"I'm going to wake up every morning thinking about how to make our government smaller and more efficient as governor, and return more tax money to people. Governor Corzine wakes up every day thinking about how he can grow the size of government," Christie said.
"I love this job, and I love the people of the State of New Jersey," Corzine said in Hoboken Tuesday.
He didn't mention either of his prospective Republican opponents, but defended his record.
"We've done a lot of changes, but we've been limited because there's been an economic recession for half of the time that I've been governor," Corzine said.
For his part, Corzine does not have any strong opposition in this primary, but Lonegan and Christie said they are ready to fill that role in the fall.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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