Philadelphia Inquirer Editorial Page
The contest to bear the Republican standard against the Democratic gubernatorial candidate has fallen into a familiar pattern for the New Jersey GOP: the hard-line conservative promising outright upheaval versus the establishment candidate espousing vague electability.
The latter is CHRIS CHRISTIE, and The Inquirer endorses him in the Republican primary. Christie, 46, is the most electable candidate – so much so that Democrats have tried to boost the prospects of right-wing rival Steve Lonegan. Christie earned his reputation with prolific corruption-busting as the state’s chief federal prosecutor. His nomination would likely guarantee a healthy competition in the general election and, for many voters, a tough choice.
Christie’s chief drawback is his foggy agenda, a combination of GOP boilerplate and deliberate ambiguity. That’s probably because he is trying to keep the party’s conservative base mollified without harming his ability to move toward the center in November – a perennial challenge for Republicans in the liberal state.
Lonegan, by contrast, deserves credit for making substantive policy proposals. Unfortunately, some of them would be disastrous if ever carried out.
