Biden visits A.C., campaigns for Corzine

ATLANTIC CITY - Vice President Biden whipped up a crowd of several hundred union members yesterday to support Democratic Gov. Corzine, who seeks reelection.

"This is not only one of the most important states in the union, this is one of the most consequential governors serving in any state in the union, and it is critically important that he get elected," Biden said.

Appearing at the annual meeting of the New Jersey AFL-CIO at the Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa, Biden credited Corzine with using his Wall Street experience as a former Goldman Sachs & Co. chief executive to help President Obama's administration design the national economic-stimulus plan. Biden framed the race as one about affordable health care, unions' right to organize workers, paid family leave, and defense of the middle class.

More animated than usual, Corzine used sweeping hand gestures to emphasize those pivotal issues and others.

"The stakes of this election could not be higher, and the choices we face are crystal clear," he said. "Over the past four years, my administration has fought for what is right for New Jersey families, working every day to expand health care to more children and passing paid family leave."

Biden and Corzine linked the governor to Obama, who remains popular in New Jersey despite sagging approval ratings elsewhere.

"I'm betting on Jon Corzine being able to stand with Barack and me several years from now and say not only is this recession over, not only are we creating jobs, but we are stronger and we're better prepared to be the dominant economy in the 21st century because of what we did," Biden said.

This was Biden's second visit to help Corzine; he helped the governor start his campaign in June.

The Obama political team also has used consultants to try to bolster Corzine's campaign. The president and first lady are expected to visit before the Nov. 3 election.

In recent days, Corzine's heavy television and direct-mail advertising campaigns have helped him pull into a dead heat in polls with Republican Christopher J. Christie, who had been leading them for more than a year. Independent Chris Daggett also seeks the governor's office.

Only New Jersey and Virginia elect governors this year.

Though voters in polls say the election is about issues such as property taxes and jobs, analysts are likely to call the New Jersey result a referendum on Obama and a predictor of 2010 races.

Charles Wowkanech, president of the New Jersey AFL-CIO, said the labor group planned to deliver 1.4 million votes for Corzine from members and their households. The union has as many as 15,000 volunteers scheduled to get out voters Nov. 3.

Wowkanech said Christie's opposition to project labor agreements, which require union members to work on public-works projects, and his call for new state workers to be funneled into an employee-contribution retirement plan rather than the state pension, was stirring up unionists.

"Let him keep campaigning on those issues," Wowkanech said. "He's going to get the biggest education on Nov. 3."

Christie has pledged to cut government spending and taxes, in part by reducing the state workforce and cutting overtime.

In June, Corzine agreed to a no-layoff deal with state workers in exchange for their giving up contracted raises and taking unpaid furloughs. Christie has said he would seek to overturn that deal, which will expire in January.

In response to Biden's visit, Christie announced that he had received an endorsement from the Police Sergeants Benevolent Association of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. He also asked Corzine to persuade Biden to keep open a postal facility in Logan Township that is expected to close at a cost of at least 650 jobs. He noted that the state's unemployment rate was 9.7 percent, the highest in decades.

Also yesterday, the state Election Law Enforcement Commission released campaign-finance reports showing that Corzine has raised and spent $16.8 million, far outdistancing Christie, who has raised $9.6 million and spent $5.4 million.

Daggett has raised $890,000 and spent $781,000.

The governor is not participating in the state's taxpayer-funded public-financing program, which limits campaign spending to $11 million.

That gives him a monetary advantage over Christie and Daggett.

Since 2000, Corzine has spent at least $100 million of his own money to secure electoral office.