NEW JERSEY PRO-LIFER GETS GOP NOD FOR GOVERNOR

By Carol Tobias, NRL PAC Director

Pro-life Jersey City Mayor Bret Schundler has a history of beating the odds and confounding New Jersey pundits.

At one point more than 20% behind in the polls, Schundler ran an excellent campaign and soundly defeated a popular opponent to win the June 26 Republican primary for governor.

The seat is currently held by acting Governor Donald DiFrancesco, who assumed the position when former Governor Christie Todd Whitman was chosen to head the Environmental Protection Agency.

Buoyed by the highest primary turnout in 20 years and solid support from pro-lifers, Schundler defeated pro-abortion former Congressman Bob Franks by a 57%-43% margin.

An early May Quinnipiac University poll showed Franks, the hand-picked choice of the New Jersey political establishment, leading Schundler by a whopping 46%-24% margin.

"You said it couldn't be done, but you proved it otherwise," Schundler told an electrified crowd after the results were announced.

Schundler will face the pro-abortion mayor of Woodbridge, James McGreevey, who essentially never stopped campaigning after losing by less than 1% to Whitman in 1997.

Originally, DiFrancesco and Schundler both sought the Republican nomination. DiFrancesco withdrew following the revelation of some ethics problems and "business improprieties."

Claiming that they felt the pro-life Schundler was too conservative to win a statewide race in New Jersey, party leaders drafted Franks to run, even postponing the primary by three weeks to give Franks time to organize and campaign.

Franks had the support of 19 of New Jersey's 21 powerful county GOP organizations. Those endorsements meant his name was on the party's line, or in the party's column, on the primary ballot in those 19 counties. He continued to hammer Schundler's life-of-the-mother-only abortion position as being too "extreme."

Franks had given up his congressional seat in 2000 to run for an open Senate seat. He garnered 47% of the vote after being outspent 10 to 1 by now-Senator John Corzine (D), who spent $60 million of his own money. Franks was considered to be a shoe-in for the party nod, whether he ran for governor in 2001 or Senate in 2002.

Even with everything going well for Franks, Schundler's supporters didn't give up on the 42-year-old Harvard graduate.

Schundler had won a special election in 1992 for mayor of Jersey City.

He gained immediate national prominence because Jersey City had only a 6% Republican registration. Schundler was the first Republican mayor in 75 years of this largely African-American and Hispanic city.

In 1993, Schundler was re-elected overwhelmingly, garnering 69% of the vote. He was re-elected again in 1997 with 59%, carrying 45% of the African-American vote and 70% of the Hispanic vote.

In a hopeful sign of unity, Franks agreed to co-chair the Schundler campaign, as did former Republican Gov. Tom Kean.

Already on board as a co-chair is pro-life former Congressman Jack Kemp.