New Jersey is anything but a bell weather state. And I'm beginning to wonder about my own state of Virginia. Our state level politics is scandalous, IMHO. They raid funds all the time. There was a big pension scandal. There was a big road fund scandal. I was lulled into thinking things would get better here. I thought Warner would get some of the blame for all our problems. Nah. And VA governors are so weak, Warner doesn't deserve much criticism. Nor does a Virginia governor deserve much credit for anything, either. They're kind of like cashiers at restaurants. The cooks are the ones to keep an eye on, not the cashiers.
I think it's like that all over. My uncle worked in TN gubmint for years and said it's as corrupt as anywhere you will find. It's the same all over.