Response by Rick Thigpen

Remember, George Bush lost New Jersey by over 500,000 votes in 2000, losing 54% to 39%. This poll shows that the President is ready to narrow that margin by winning as much as 45% of the votes against any of the Democratic candidates, this time around. In a winner take all system this improvement just ain't good enough. It looks like a daunting if not close to impossible task for this Republican President, entering the fourth year of his term, to find a way to cross the 50% threshold in this state in 2004. From Nixon to the first Bush, the Republicans carried New Jersey six times in a row. 2004 will make four times in a row for the Democrats, now that's a swing state. I suspect that the Bush campaign will choose to walk away from New Jersey quite early. Let's just hope that the rest of America follows New Jersey's lead.

Comment by Fairleigh Dickinson University's PublicMind Academic Associate, Rick Thigpen (J.D., Columbia University Law School). Rick is a former Executive Director of the New Jersey Democratic Party and now a partner in The Strategy Group and is a campaign coordinator for the Essex County Democratic Party. Rick Thigpen, Esq. can be reached at (609) 394-0888.