Torch Extinguishes Himself - How Will It Play In Ocean County?

“When Did We Stop Trusting Each Other?” Asks Senator Robert Torricelli, As He Quits Re-Election Campaign In The Wake Of Ethics Questions Arising From Gifts And Other Favors He Accepted From A Rich Campaign Contributor

Democrats Are Trying To Get Former U. S. Senator Bill Bradley Or Hudson Congressman Robert Menendez As A Replacement For The Torch On The November Ballot, But Time Is Short

Doug Forrester May Have Some Competition After All

The latest state-wide polls showed Republican millionaire Douglas Forrester running thirteen points ahead of incumbent U. S. Senator Robert Torricelli, a Democrat who had a big lead and near certain re-election until the Senate Ethics Committee found he damaged the Senate’s reputation by unethically accepting expensive personal gifts from a campaign contributor.

For a while, the polls showed Torricelli dead even with Forrester but, last week, a judge ordered federal prosecutors to release a letter which showed pretty clearly that the gifts accepted by Torricelli that formed the basis for the ethics probe may have been just the tip of the iceberg.

So Torricelli, assisted by Governor Jim McGreevey and John Corzine, the state’s senior U. S. Senator, did some soul searching over the weekend and, together, they faced a battery of reporters at the state house in Trenton, and the wounded Torch quit the campaign, apparently just days short of a federal deadline for Democrats to come up with a replacement.

Toricelli will remain a senator until his term expires in January.

How Will Torch Departure Play In Ocean County?

How all this will play in Ocean County is uncertain, but confident predictions of easy Republican victories in several local races may have to be reconsidered, especially if former three-term U. S. Senator and presidential candidate Bill Bradley, always popular in Ocean County, allows himself to be coaxed back into action as Torricelli’s replacement.

Ocean County Democrats, who may now look for another unique way to self destruct, can postpone the wake - at least for the time being.

“When Did We Stop Trusting Each Other?”

“When did we stop trusting each other?”, asked Torricelli rhetorically as he gave his Trenton swan song. It was an interesting question.

Will Torricelli’s departure allow Ocean County voters to concentrate more assiduously on local issues? For the answer, which will develop over the next several weeks, log on to OceanCountyPolitics•Com.

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