New Jersey —

Traditionally Labor Day marks the kick-off for New Jersey political campaigns. But this year bitter charges and counter charges have been flying all summer between Republican businessman Doug Forrester and Democratic Senator Jon Corzine. WNYC's Bob Hennelly has this post card from New Jersey as the two candidates prepare to take the campaign up yet another notch.

This election cycle New Jersey is headed into un-chartered territory. Two multi-millionaire candidates have vowed to spend whatever it takes to win the governorship. That likely will mean an expensive ad war the likes of which New Jersey has never seen.

Here at the Quaker Bridge Mall in Princeton back to school shoppers search for savings. And if these folks are a fair sampling much of the electorate draws a blank on who is running.

Three students from the College Of New Jersey wrestle a huge rug into a Green Saturn. All three swear they took the trouble to vote in the last Presidential election but as for as whose vying for the state's top spot....?

"Codey, Richard... No it's Corey, no it's Richard Codey…No, it is Richard Corey he was the acting Governor and now he is running. Correct? Who cares."

In a totally unscientific polling of dozens of shoppers here in this battleground part of the state, it is Senator Jon Corzine's name that comes up without being prompted and each time with a positive comment. He spent over $60 million to win his current seat and serving in Washington hasn't hurt.

So far, the recent flap over his half million loan turned gift, to a former girlfriend, head of a state worker's union, is hardly mentioned.

As an incumbent there are places Corzine can get access to that his opponent Forrester can't. Here at New Jersey Resources, a gas utility that serves north and Central New Jersey, Corzine is on very friendly turf to address hundreds of workers. Forrester wasn't invited. Head of corporate Communications for the utility is Micah Rasmussen, once the press secretary for former Governor Jim McGreevey. Corzine's advance staff is worried about an opposition researcher who has been dogging Corzine with a video camera. Rasmussen heads off the Forrester partisan from following Corzine on a tour.

"Sorry I hope you don't mind. To be honest with you. I know that homeland security gets thrown around a lot but this is considered a critical infrastructure.

Utility CEO Laurence Downes introduces Corzine after a tour of the facility. He says Corzine was invited only because he is a sitting US Senator.

"He has also played an important part in our area here in the state by getting more than $75 million for really dealing with beach erosion and making sure that our quality of life is maintained…(fade)

Senator Jon Corzine tries to tackle the question of past ethical lapses by his Democratic predecessor by committing to fix the state's busted school and transportation trust funds that ran into trouble when the Democrats controlled state government.

We have a lot of cleaning up to do of our transportation trust fund, our school construction fund, our budgets and a lot of other issues. I know how to do those kind of things at least in the environment I came from and I'd like to apply those skills."

Forrester has tried to link Corzine, who has given millions of dollars to the Democratic Party and its county committees, to convicted felon and top Democratic fundraiser Charles Kushner. Kushner and Corzine did team up and try and buy the New Jersey Nets. After the event Corzine talks to reporters and links Forrester to the increasingly unpopular Bush White House.

"But if you want the movie that you have seen in Washington to run here in New Jersey I think there is a very clear opportunity for people to vote for my opponent because this is an individual that wants to give tax breaks to someone like myself who is doing very well and take away the ability of this state to deal with the real needs of our seniors our children and those who are left behind."

Doug Forrester picks as a backdrop the Jersey City waterfront at Exchange Place, with lower Manhattan and Ground Zero behind him to pitch his plans for Homeland Security to a journalists. Forrester attacks Corzine, trying to link him to the scandal that involved Governor McGreevey that led to his resigning in disgrace. He invokes the name of the man Governor McGreevey said he had an affair with and appointed as a Homeland Security advisor.

"The problem is Jon Corzine is the Democratic candidate for Governor. He has lead his party as the senior elected official in New Jersey as United States Senator for five years. He has said nothing about the issues that are most important with regard to the distribution of homeland security grants, with the appointment of Golan Cipel."

Peter Wooley, Executive Director of Farleigh Dickinson University's Public Mind Poll says Forrester is running uphill having come out of a bitter primary where he only got a third of the vote.

"The key for Forrester all along has been that he's needed top get in a race with a democratic candidate who is unacceptable and he has got to be unacceptable because he is associated with corruption, he has associated in voters minds that the state is on the wrong track."

And Wooley says questions raised by Democrats over the summer about the nature of Forrester's business, a prescription benefit management company, as well as charges that Forrester made campaign donations to generate business, make it harder for Forrester to set himself apart from politics as usual.

"So Forrester, in fact set the bar very high for himself by saying he is the clean outsider. Well, you tarnish that a little bit and the claim is a little but harder to make. And to put it another way the team that is a head in a game five runs can afford to walk a few batters. The guy that is behind they got to hit and pitch well."

Back at the Quakerbridge Mall a West Windsor resident says she is reserving judgment but remains skeptical of both parties.

Janet Kanacin: "Generally they'll tell us one thing when they go to run for office and than do whatever they want when they get in the office. They raise taxes if they said they said they were going to lower them. Our voice is not truly heard.”

By November tens of millions will be spent by both sides to this voter to change her mind. So far only Jon Corzine has aired TV ads. Forrester's camp says his will be up any day.

For WNYC I am Bob Hennelly.