John Corzine

WESTFIELD -- Assemblywoman Linda Stender today acted unfazed by the Republican accusation that she wittingly took part in a legislative slush fund to get money for towns in her district, and accused her congressional opponent, State Sen. Leonard Lance, of trying to distract from what she alleged was his ideological duplicity.

"There was money in the budget that passed, and I worked with my towns to make application for grant money. It went into towns regardless of the political affiliation of their leadership," she said.

At a press conference yesterday, the Republican State Committee passed out copies of eight applications for towns in her district to get funding from the controversial Property Tax Assistance and Community Development grants program, which Republicans charge was a Democratic slush fund that distributed $128 million dollars for fiscal years 2005 and 2006 with little or no oversight or documented justification.

WASHINGTON - House Energy and Commerce Committee's Health Subcommittee Chairman Frank Pallone (D-NJ) (L) greets Elizabeth Edwards, wife of former Sen. John Edwards (D-NC) (R) and New Jersey Governor Jon Corzine (D) before a hearing about health care reform September 18, 2008 in Washington, DC. The panel included researchers, health experts and academics talking about the future of health care in the United States. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

In the end, Barack Obama came no closer to Hillary Clinton than Doug Forrester came to Frank Lautenberg and Jon Corzine. Clinton appears to have won New Jersey by more than 100,000 votes – a 54%-44% margin. It was a solid win fueled by strong showings in Bergen, Hudson, Camden, Passaic and Middlesex counties. Clinton carried sixteen counties; Obama won Essex, Mercer, Somerset, Hunterdon and Union counties.

Is it just us, or do you cringe, or do you feel it just slightly annoying at the annual State of the State address when the Governor recognizes John Bennett as a former Governor?  While Donald DiFrancesco and Richard Codey had full years as Acting Governor – a subsequent state law removed the Acting from their titles, elevating them to former Governor status, Bennett’s term of office lasted exactly three and one-half days. 

Because the Senate was split 20-20 after the 2001 election, and since DiFrancesco’s term as a State Senator ended a week before James E. McGreevey was to take office, Codey and Bennett split the week.  Bennett moved into Drumthwacket, through a family party there, ordered ceremonial pens bearing his name, and even pardoned an old friend and contributor.

Of course, there is some irony to Bennett’s recognition by Jon Corzine yesterday: the Democrat who defeated him in a 2003 State Senate race, Ellen Karcher, was not there.  She lost re-election last November.  And Bennett, whose ethical woes seem to have disappeared, has made a political comeback, albeit a tiny one: now a lobbyist (what a surprise!), he got elected Republican State Committeeman from Monmouth County in 2005.