Christie knocks out Corzine in NJ

WHEN HE stood with New Jersey Gov. Jon S. Corzine in Camden on Sunday, President Obama urged voters to become "ambassadors of change."

Voters yesterday embraced that message of change, just not the kind the president was talking about.

Republican challenger Christopher J. Christie, a former corruption-busting U.S. attorney, capped his arduous bid for the state's highest elected office by knocking Democrat Corzine out of office after one term with 49 percent of the vote to 45 percent for Corzine. Independent candidate Chris Daggett garnered 6 percent.

"Hey, New Jersey, we did it," Christie, 47, told supporters during his victory speech last night in Parsippany.

During his campaign, Christie, vowed to cut state spending, decrease taxes and revitalize the state's industry and inner cities, but had been criticized for not being specific enough on how he would do it.

In the coming months, Christie's going to have to lay out the specifics, political analysts say, and getting them accomplished over the next four years won't be easy.

"There's going to be a lot of pressure on him to not cut the budget and there's going to be a lot of pressure on him to not raise taxes," said Peter Woolley, a political-science professor at Farleigh Dickinson University. "That's what I call a rock and a hard place right there."

Christie, Woolley said, has major hurdles ahead that have tripped up past governors, including a looming $8 billion budget deficit, the highest property taxes in the nation and a Democrat-controlled state legislature, all wrapped up in an devastated economy.

The Democrats, Woolley said, will not play nice.

"There will be some ceremony about cooperation with the new governor, but I doubt it will last very long," he said.

Christie, a married father of four from Mendham Township, won early support in the campaign for his image as a tough-talking sheriff who, while U.S attorney, won convictions or guilty pleas against 130 public officials on both side of the political aisle.

During his victory speech, Christie's tough talk came out again.

"Starting tomorrow, we are gonna pick Trenton up and turn it upside down," he said, to a round of raucous applause.

Crystal Evans, a Democratic councilwoman in Gloucester Township, Camden County, supported Christie and said she believes his experience will enable him to cut through the Trenton fog.

"He knows the law and he's not going to put up with any nonsense," said Evans, 45. "It's gonna change the way we do things as usual.

John Weingart, associate director of the Eagleton Institute of Politics at Rutgers University, wasn't so sure.

"He is going to come into the statehouse with no experience, no government experience at least in Trenton," he said.

Voters in South Jersey mentioned their disgust with high property taxes as a key factor for choosing Christie.

"I want our homestead back," said Jim Rafferty, after casting a vote for Christie in Maple Shade, Burlington County.

Dennis McLaughlin, of njtaxrevolution.com, said he believes Christie may have kept specific plans to reduce taxes hidden to shield them from Corzine's negative campaigning.

"Property taxes is the number-one thing people care about," said McLaughlin. "Christie was the only guy talking about reducing spending."

Ben Dworkin, director of the Rebovich Institute for N.J. Politics at Rider University, said Christie will most likely back away from those "robust" campaign promises, but will be held accountable.

Corzine, a divorced father of three, spent $23.6 million on his current campaign. Christie spent $8.8 million and Daggett spent $1.2 million.

During his first term, Corzine, 62, never delivered on his promise to address the state's property taxes and his plan to raise tolls on major highways was throttled by residents during public hearings across the state.

Corzine, whose popularity remained low in polls throughout the election, refused to rule rule out tax increases if he were re-elected.

Obama made three visits to New Jersey to stump for Corzine and, analysts say, the purpose was to get registered Democratic voters to the polls in full force.

That just didn't happen.

Daggett, 59, offered a plan to cut property taxes by raising sales taxes, a proposal attacked as a tax break mostly benefitting the rich. Few thought the former regional administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency and former head of the state's environmental agency had a chance, and he gave his concession speech at 9:50 p.m.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.