NEWSPAPER ENDORSEMENTS MAY MATTER IN N.J.

By: Joe Strupp Republican Gets Boost From Several Papers





Did a string of recent newspaper endorsements - including an unusual one made by The New York Times in the U.S. Senate race in New Jersey - help Republican Bob Franks close the gap against Democrat Jon Corzine? While no one - Franks, Corzine, or Times editors - will acknowledge that the editorial support led to the tightening of the race, the timing is at least intriguing, campaign aides said.



"We have such a large bloc of independent voters in New Jersey. They take into account what the newspapers say when they make a decision" said Jeanette Hoffman, Franks' deputy communications director. "The fact that The New York Times, which is usually a more liberal paper, has endorsed us - we're pleased."



The Times' endorsement Oct. 25 brought the number of New Jersey area newspapers endorsing Franks to 10, compared with Corzine's four. "They are a factor," said Bill Messmer, a political science professor at Drew University in Madison, N.J., referring to the endorsements. "They can make a difference because they come at a time when people are making up their minds."



Charlie Smith, Franks' campaign manager, said he planned to feature the endorsements prominently in advertising during the campaign's final days.



Speculation that the papers' support had made a difference in the race arose after two polls were released last week that indicated the gap was closing. The first poll, a Gannett New Jersey survey released Oct. 29, had Franks going from 13 points behind Corzine to just four points behind over a two-week span. Another poll, this one by Quinnipiac University, indicated Franks had closed a 14-point deficit to climb within five points of Corzine.



A Newark, N.J., Star-Ledger/Eagleton poll, however, indicated there has been no change in recent weeks. That Oct. 29 survey gave Corzine an eight-point lead over Franks, nearly identical to a similar poll taken three weeks earlier.



Corzine's campaign officials did not respond to requests for comment.



Times spokeswoman Kathy Park said that while Times' endorsements of Republicans are uncommon, they are not rare: "We normally endorse several Republicans in each election cycle."







Joe Strupp (jstrupp@editorandpublisher.com) is an associate editor for E&P.







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