Jay Webber On Victory 2009 Campaign
Republican State Chair Jay Webber held a conference call this morning to discuss the Victory 2009 campaign.
The Assemblyman was clearly confident about the prospects for both the Christie campaign and Republicans this year. He said that New Jerseyans are ‘hungry for change’ and that Republicans were poised to ‘capitalize on unprecedented energy and enthusiasm’ within the Republican ranks.
Volunteer efforts have been strong. Roughly 3700 volunteers have put in over 3000 hours, tallying some 150,000 voter contacts. The Assemblyman pointed to a mid-August ‘Super Saturday’ event as further evidence of the energy on the Republican side this year. Taking time out on a summer Saturday in August, over 33,000 voter contacts were made by campaign volunteers.
Assemblyman Webber was also pleased by the recent Rasmussen polling which shows Christie maintaining a double digit lead – 47%-36%. When I asked the Assemblyman if he saw any evidence of independent candidate Chris Daggett taking votes away from either top candidate, he said he did not know and that the Christie campaign ‘can’t control it.’
Notably, the Rasmussen poll does not mention Daggett, but includes an option for ’some other candidate.’
| 2009 New Jersey Governor Race | |
|---|---|
| Chris Christie (R) | 47% |
| Jon Corzine (D) | 36% |
| Some Other Candidate | 7% |
| Not Sure | 11% |
The Assemblyman was also asked if the recent Christie scandals have harmed the campaign. In response, he referred to these matters ‘as a series of distractions that haven’t changed the fundamentals of the campaign.’ He returned to the theme that ‘Corzine has failed us’ and said that Mr. Christie was the candidate of hope with a better, more fiscally responsible vision for the state.
I also queried the Chairman on the prospects of the Republicans winning the Assembly. He said he was much more upbeat about winning the Assembly than he was several months back. To capture the Assembly, Republicans would need a 9 seat gain. Assemblyman Webber described such a pick-up as an ‘ambitious’ goal but could see a ‘real possibility of a Speaker DeCroce in November.’ He noted recent scandals as being a factor, and that the 4th and 19th districts were now very much in play.
In closing, Assemblyman Webber said that Assembly Republicans would be ‘on offense this year’ and he pledged that Republicans will continue to ‘campaign hard’ up until Election Day.
Cross-posted at Red County and Conservatives with Attitude!
