Sources Say Torricelli Pressured To Quit Race (New AP Dispatch)

AP via WNBC.com ^ | 9/30/02

[GeneD]

TRENTON, N.J. -- State and national Democratic leaders were negotiating with U.S. Sen. Robert Torricelli to end his re-election campaign after months of news about illegal campaign donations and unethical behavior, sources said Monday.

Torricelli is considering pulling out of the race, sources told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.

Torricelli's public-approval ratings have taken a beating all year, and recent polls have showed him trailing Republican challenger Douglas Forrester, a startling predicament for any congressional incumbent.

A Star-Ledger/Eagleton-Rutgers poll released this weekend showed Forrester leading by 13 percentage points. In June, the same poll had Torricelli leading by 14 points.

The Senate ethics committee "severely admonished" Torricelli in July after finding he accepted and failed to disclose gifts from David Chang, a businessman who is serving an 18-month prison sentence for making illegal campaign donations.

[GeneD]

Just up on Drudge.

[William McKinley]

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[KC_Conspirator]

So which judge have the DNC bribed into accepting a late candidate filing?

[cody32127]

Ill bet lil tommy dashole/clintoon/streisand are freaking out right now! I LOVE IT!

[Registered]

Watch the money change hands!!!

[r9etb]

So which judge have the DNC bribed into accepting a late candidate filing?

It'd have to be somebody well-known in NJ.

Somebody on another thread wisely speculated that if Torch were to resign, the Dem governor could appoint a Dem replacement. I'm guessing that the heart of the negotiations is probably centered on resignation.

[caltrop]

I doubt it. The rumor is that McGreevey will appoint Conressman Menendez to replace Torricelli who will resign from the Senate. In many states, I don't know about NJ, political party executive committees can appoint replacements for candidates who resign, die, are incarcerated, etc. If so, the only question I'd have is whether or not it's too late to change the ballots. It's possible, for example, that absentee ballots have already been mailed.

[Frohickey]

Actually, its not money at all.

After national and state democrat leaders looked at the poll numbers, they figured that it might be a bit of a stretch to resurrect THAT many dead voters to vote for Torricelli.

[blackdog]

Think about this folks!!!! What will this do to the lesser Democratic candidates in statewide and county/local elections? It will suppress voter turnout big-time. We will start hearing "He may be the senator from New Jersey, but he was not elected so, he just obtained office by default" And so-on.... This will throw New Jersey into Africa status regarding elections.

[Zansman]

This could be either really good or really bad.

If Torch quits the race, will he also resign? If he resigns, the Dem Governor could appoint a popular New Jersey Dem to finish the term and run as incumbent.

While you are talking about getting a campaign up and running pretty quickly, the DNC would flood $$$ and resources into said campaign.

On the other hand, I don't see Torch as the resigning type and without already being in office, the chances of another Dem candidate turning the thing around before Nov. 5th strike me as extremely slim at best.

[HoosierFather]

If Torch does the coitus interuptus, does that mean Forrester runs unopposed. Or, can the NJ Dims slip Bill Bradley into the race at the last minute? It would seem that there would have to be some deadline for getting Torch's name off the ballot. Anyone in NJ know the law there?

[CROSSHIGHWAYMAN]

So Torricelli is worse than Saddam Hussein.

Why doesn't

BAGHDAD McDERMOTT try to convince Saddam to drop out to avoid war??????????

[KC_Conspirator]

Yes, but the election would still go on and Forrester would be sworn in by January. I know that money for Torch's campaign has dried up and the DNC is moving their resources to otehr competitive campaigns.

[sinkspur]

Another poster on another thread said that September 17 was the deadline for getting a name on the ballot.

[Timm]

Yes, that's roughly in the direction of the question I have, too. Can the Democrats get another candidate on the ballot this late?

Even if the answer according to the law is "no", there's plently to worry about it in that corrupt cesspool that is N.J. I worry there's a dirty trick here.

On the other hand, perhaps the Democrats have already written off Toricelli. They may think that yet another corrupt, law-breaking, self-absorbed national candidate is a little more than the party can bear, particularly when party support is not going to alter the outcome of the election.

That's a huge decision, given everything at stake in the Senate race this fall.

[fatboy]

Torricelli May Resign, Drop Re-Election Bid

September 30, 2002 11:57 AM ET

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - New Jersey Democratic Sen. Robert Torricelli, who has fallen behind in the polls after a barrage of corruption allegations, is considering dropping his bid for re-election and resigning his seat, a Democratic source said Monday.

The source said Torricelli would make a decision "within the next few hours" on whether to resign from the Senate, where he was rebuked on allegations he accepted illegal gifts, so New Jersey's Democratic Gov. James McGreevey could appoint his replacement.

Torricelli's Republican opponent Doug Forrester, has made an issue of the corruption allegations and the Democrat has been slipping in the polls.

[Miss Marple]

Torch press conference 2PM Eastern.

[Question_Assumptions]

If he resigns, the Dem Governor could appoint a popular New Jersey Dem to finish the term and run as incumbent.

The problem they are going to have is that there aren't all that many "popular New Jersey Dem"s to finish the term and run as a one-month incumbent, especially if you look at name state-wide name recognition. Remember that New Jersey is divided north (New York City media) and south (Philadelphia media) and congresscritters from one part of the state frequently don't have any name recognition in other parts of the state. The Democrats also can't rely on previous governors since Jim Florio was so unpopular that he not only lost his own race but gave the Republicans the legislature.

While Menendez sounds like a possibility, I doubt he can win in one month, especially given the large number of conservative Cubans in New Jersey. The only two I can think of who have the name recognition to pull off a Senate victory are Bradley and Lautenberg, both of whom retired from the Senate. Even then, I don't think it would be a guaranteed win.

[vollmond]

I posted last week that it was possible Torricelli might drop out and Bill Bradley would step in. Still could happen. But how about this for a scenario? Torricelli announces he'll stay in the race, and resign from the Senate after the election, win or lose. The Governor can then appoint a new Senator, someone who would have no earthly chance of getting elected on their own. I don't put anything past these slimeballs. They'll do anything to keep their Senate majority.

[KC_Conspirator]

The only logical thing I can think is that the DNC Star Chamber told Torch he was toast and that he would be cutoff finacially as they haad to use their remaining money on candidates who could win.