Jersey and Virginia speak volumes

Last night's off-year elections could prove to have presidential implications as Democrats maintained control of the governor's mansions in Virginia and New Jersey.

Virginia—Virginia Lt. Gov. Tim Kaine (D) won his gubernatorial race after defeating Republican Jerry Kilgore by more than 5%. Kaine's victory came despite a last hour appearance by President G.W. Bush in support of Kilgore. Kaine had the benefit of current Virgina Governor Mark Warner campaigning for him. Warner is an incredibly popular governor but is prohibited by state law from running for a second term. Some pundits are beginning to say that Kaine's victory could mean a spike in support for a 2008 Warner presidential bid. The Governor hasn't commented on the possibility, but many liberals seem excited about the prospect of a Democrat done-good from a Republican state.

New Jersey—Current Democratic Senator Jim Corzine won the Garden State's gubernatorial race last night after a bitter, costly campaign that included a personal attack on Corzine from his ex-wife in which she said that the Senator let his family down and would probably do the same to New Jersey. The fact that it was a heated campaign is not the issue here. What is important is that Corzine is giving up his seat in the U.S. Senate, a seat that cost him $60 million of his own fortune to obtain, to take over as Jersey's governor (the gubernatorial campaign cost him about $30 million). Some bloggers say that there is no possibility that Corzine will run in 2008 because he lacks the political machinery to do so.

The fact is that no senator has won a presidential election since Kennedy. And there doesn't seem to be any logical reason why a man of Corzine's background—CEO of Goldman Sachs and Co.—would not only opt for a less powerful position, but actually pay $30 million to give up a seat in the Senate for the governorship of New Jersey. Granted, as governor of New Jersey, he will appoint his replacement (who will probably report back to Corzine after every session). But the only obvious reason that Senator Corzine would make the move he did is because he believes it gives him a strategic advantage in a presidential race. Will it be 2008 or 2012? Maybe the fact that Corzine said, "I want to thank the people of New Jersey for rejecting the Bush-Rove tactics that we see in politics," in his victory speech speaks to speculation about showdown with the GOP.