Worst Governor of New Jersey

[Kire]

Poll question: Worst Governor of New Jersey

Kean was Best Governor,
but Worst is Up for Grabs

Tm Kean easily tops the field for “best governor of New Jersey.” But, according to a recent statewide voter survey by Fairleigh Dickinson University’s PublicMind, the title of “worst governor” is disputable. Jim McGreevey and Christine Whitman tie.

Tom Kean polled 32%, eleven percentage points ahead of his nearest competitor. He was the choice of both men and women, Democrats as well as Republicans, both liberals and conservatives, primary voters of both major parties, and voters from North and South Jersey.

“Governor Kean managed to remain popular even when he was governor, and that’s a difficult feat in this state,” said Bruce Larson, professor of political science at Fairleigh Dickinson University and survey analyst for the PublicMind. “And his service as chair of the 9-11 Commission put him in the national spotlight as a conciliator and consensus builder—enhancing his reputation among New Jerseyans even further.”

As for the worst governor, Jim McGreevey and Christie Whitman both garnered 26%. Jim Florio was a close third with 21%. McGreevey and Whitman maintained that tie among both men and women. The difference was in party affiliation: 40% of Democrats chose Whitman as the worst governor and only 15% chose McGreevey as the worst. Among Republicans, 42% chose McGreevey as the worst governor, 28% chose Florio and only 8% chose Whitman. However, Independents differed significantly from Republicans, giving Whitman the nod with 30% over both Florio (22%) and McGreevey (20%).

More: http://www.politicsnj.com/fdu012705.htm

So, who is the worst Governor of New Jersey?

[sherilocks]

1. Jim McGreevey cleaned up the financial disaster

that Christine Whitman created and balanced the NJ budget.

[Osamasux]

3. Agreed. McGreevey was a pleasant surprise.

I had really low expectations for him.

I picked Byrne. Definitely a low point in the State's history, then he goes and names an arena after himself while still in office.

[orpupilofnature57]

2. George McClellan!!Historical narcissist.

[Reverend_Smitty]

4. I picked Whitman...

she was an awful governor...really caused a lot of financial troubles that we are now just beginning to climb out of in the state. However recently my opinion of her is getting higher. I guess it is because she is one of the few moderate Republicans left

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

5. She is trying to redeem herself, but...

Verily, she did sucketh, unto the ability to generate the vacuum neccessary to start a B52. The wreckage she left.

She would have served the state so much more constructively by becoming a habitually drunken habitue' of The Old Tewksbury Inn.

[CO Liberal]

6. I'd Say Brendan Byrne Was the Best Governor

He instituted the income tax that solved the school funding dillema, and was the driving force behind the Meadowlands Sports Complex. That's why the arena used to have his name on it, before Continental Airlines bought the naming rights.

Tom kean left Jim Florio with a huge deficit, that Florio had to eliminate in order to satisfy the constitutional mandate for a balanced budget, His sales tax increase led to the rise of Christie Clod Witless. So I don't look upon Tom Kean as a great governor - I'd put his a notch below Witless on the "Worst" list.

Wayne
(CO Liberal - born in Montclair, raised in Morris Township)

[DawnneOBTS]

7. I'd put Tom Kean as the worst governor, no doubt.

He was the one who increased the GSP tolls to 35c, remember? Now you've gotta hunt around for the dime as well as the quarter to throw in the basket. Plus, how many of you remember his "Come to New Jersey" commercials? The way that man talks, the way he looks. I've always referred to him as "Howdy Doody." My mother gets mad, though. She liked the real Howdy Doody from TV.

[tcoursen]

8. McGreevey

I am sorry, but McGreevey was horrible.

He was a fine mayor of Woodbridge, and I voted for him for mayor.

But he was a horrible as governor. What he did last year with the budget is, in my opinion, worse than anything Whitman did with the budget.

I don't see how they can avoid raising taxes this time around. Anything else they are suggesting is just not gonna work. Selling the Turnpike. that is just a horrible idea.

So far I don't mind Codey. I don't really like any of the candidates that are the front runners for the next election. Not a big fan of Corzine and I don't like Forrestor or Schundler either.

As much as people here won't want to or like to admit it, I think the big problem with NJ right now is that Democrats have TOO much power. Most of the scandals right now involve Democrats. There isn't anything of a strong opposition to keep it in check. Democrats don't even have any real incentive to weed out the bad apples in their own party.

[LynneSin]

9. Yeah, but McGreevey was cleaning up Whitman's mess

When you inherit crap it's going to take awhile until you grow roses out of it.

[tcoursen]

10. What roses

And what roses are going to come out of last years budget increases?

Look at the trouble they are having with this years budget, mostly because of the increases in last years budget. And despite all the budget problems this year Cody is out there proposing MORE new spending.

Sure he inherited some problems, but I believe that he didn't reign in spending and get the problem under control in ANY way shape or form.

[LynneSin]

11. Unfortunately with Jersey it's just one big giant mess that keeps growing

and although it's a nice state, I'm glad I don't live there because it's just going to get worse for the folks who live in the state!

[kybob]

12. YOU FORGOT......

Gov Richard J. Hughes (D) 1962-1970.

[DawnneOBTS]

13. C'mon already...

Let's stop bashing all of the Dems here. This is just what the Rethugs WANT us to do, have dissent in our own party and start fighting. Jim Mc Greevey, okay-so he was a good mayor of Woodbridge Township. I did hear from people who live/lived there that taxes did go up quite a bit while he was there, but from what I understand, all-in-all things got better for Woodbridge while he was mayor. Just because you are a good mayor does not mean that you will make a good governor. Plus, he had a lot of personal problems too, which we all found out-most people who lived in Woodbridge or surrounding areas knew that he was gay, though, and still voted for him. They knew about his first wife, how/why she left him. I knew all this, and I voted for him. He was not skilled enough to fix the damage Whitman/DiFrancesco did in the right way, or at all. He was not up for the job. I likes the man, really I did. Maybe he would have been good as a state senator (not U.S. senator), maybe that would have been a good "bump" up from mayor. But governor-no. Remember, though, that he didn't INTENTIONALLY try to screw people. He isn't Bush and co. who knew that Sept. 11th was coming, and could have cared less, for example. He just screwed things up because he didn't know how to do them as a good Democratic governor should.
About Richard Hughes...the man had a really hard life with 10 kids. I met him on one occasion in the late 1980s (my late fiance's best friend was his son). I just remember him being happy that myself and my fiance were Dems. His son wasn't, believe it or not. He was a very kind man who cared a lot about what happened to people. The man's dead-give him a break.

[kybob]

14. i was not bashing Hughes, just pointing out that he was not on the list

and thats all it was, nothing more.