As Long as Voters Know who Jon Corzine is...

Governor Corzine's approval ratings continue to be upside-down as he struggles to close New Jersey's budget gap, but his Republican opponents for governor, Chris Christie and Steve Lonegan, have their own problems.

According to a poll conducted by Quinnipiac University, 56% of respondents haven't heard enough about Christie to rate him favorable or not. That number jumps to 72% for Steve Lonegan.

But as long as more than 50% of New Jerseyans don't approve of the job Corzine is doing, they should just continue to remain "the other guy."

Is Corzine Hiding on Financial Television?

Jon Corzine is in love with appearing on Financial TV. It seems like every weekend he ends up on one of the talk shows as a former "financial wizard" telling us how to save the economy.

How has that worked in New Jersey?

Maybe appearing on all these shows keeps him in New York and Washington, and out of New Jersey, where former Attorney Chris Christie leads Gov. Jon Corzine, 44% to 38% in the New Jersey Governor’s race.

Anyone need make-up?

Is Chris Christie Prepared to be Governor?

Straight on the heels of the release of polling data suggesting he could beat incumbent Jon Corzine, former U.S. Attorney Chris Christie officially kicked off his campaign this week.

The only thing he forgot to pack: specifics.

According to the Star-Ledger:

Christie said he would not raise taxes, but declined to say how he would recoup the lost revenue if he reduces income and business taxes to make New Jersey more competitive. He did not take a position on the state's property tax rebate program, saying he wanted to carefully study it before presenting a comprehensive plan to tackle the entrenched property tax problem.

On other issues, such as town consolidation or state worker concessions, Christie sounded more like Corzine. He said he'd "encourage" New Jersey's 566 towns to consolidate, and that he thought state worker unions had to "step up and contribute" by making concessions. But according to his statements, Christie wouldn't force the issue on either side.

Former Borgata mayor Steve Lonegan, who is running against Christie in a four-man Republican primary that includes Morris County Assemblyman Rick Merkt and Franklin Township Mayor Brian Levine, called Christie's refusal to provide specific budget-cutting plans "irresponsible."

"It's clear to me that Mr. Christie is in over his head," Lonegan told The Star-Ledger.

Chris Christie for Governzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz...

Boy, NO ONE saw this coming!

Here's the sketch:

New Jersey Cartoon: The Ghost of Chris Christie's Past

Chris Christie, the former U.S. Attorney for New Jersey, is continuing his "let's wait and see" approach about running against Jon Corzine for Governor in 2009.

Despite having little experience as a criminal prosecutor when George W. Bush appointed him in 2002, Christie has been a political corruption buster, amassing 130 political corruption convictions without a single acquittal.

But, in the last year, he received a blemish on his record when he handed his one-time boss, former U.S. Attorney John Ashcroft, a contract worth between $27 million and $52 million to monitor a medical device company for 18 months. Democrats challenged the no-bid deal, which lead to new Justice Department guidelines on how federal monitors are selected.

Will it come back and bite him? Who knows. We'll see if Steve Lonegan puts together a commercial with money changing hands, as Ashcroft sings in the background, "Let the eagles soar..."