N.J. SENATE CANDIDATES SURPRISED BY GANNETT INTERVIEW

By: Joe Strupp Corzine, Florio Didn't Expect Joint Format



Did Gannett New Jersey Newspapers lure U.S. Senate candidates Jim
Florio and Jon Corzine into a debate before dozens of newspaper editors
under false pretenses? Or did the two politicians vying for the
Democratic nomination to become New Jersey's next senator simply
misunderstand the rules of the event?



The answer depends on who you ask.



Robert Ingle, state capital bureau chief for the seven-paper chain
owned by Gannett Co. Inc., said Florio, a former New Jersey governor,
and Corzine, former CEO of Goldman Sachs, were sent a letter two months
ago inviting them to a May 18 meeting with editors from each of the
chain's papers. He said the letter made clear that the meeting would
include both candidates and be part of each paper's endorsement
process.



'The point was to get everyone together at the same time instead of
having different meetings with each candidate and editors from each
paper,' said Ingle. 'We were trying to save time for the candidates and
for our people, who have a lot of local races to cover.'



But when Corzine and Florio showed up for the gathering, each was
surprised to find that he would not be interviewed alone, according to
campaign aides for the candidates. Each said he was invited under
different circumstances.



'Mr. Ingle spoke personally with me twice before the meeting and each
time voluntarily offered that each of the candidates for Senate were to
have individual slots before the editorial board at different times,'
said Steve Goldstein, a Corzine spokesman. 'In fact, when we wanted to
schedule Jon Corzine for another time that day that would be more
convenient, I was told it would be impossible because that was the slot
of another Senate candidate.'



Jim Lanard, a Florio spokesman, said he also misunderstood the ground
rules for the meeting. 'We were never told Mr. Corzine would be there,'
he said. 'I had been assured that Gov. Florio would be there without
the other side.'



Ingle stood by his contention that the campaigns were properly informed
of the meeting arrangement, and said they should have realized that the
event would include both candidates after a similar editorial board
meeting with the four Republican candidates for Senate was held May 16,
and reported in the Gannett New Jersey Newspapers May 17. 'There was a
picture in the papers that showed all four candidates,' he said.



The Gannett New Jersey Newspapers are the Asbury Park Press of
Neptune, The Courier-News of Bridgewater, the Courier-

Post of Cherry Hill, The Daily Journal of Vineland, the
Daily Record of Morristown, the Home News Tribune of East
Brunswick, and the Ocean County Observer of Toms River.



In the end, both Corzine and Florio said they believed the debate
format was good and were disappointed only that the event was not
recorded for TV or radio replay. 'From an information-gathering point
of view, it was a brilliant move,' said the Florio campaign's Lanard.
'It got both of them in the room.'



Ingle said the newspaper group had conducted similar editorial board
meetings with other statewide officeholders, but this was the first
held during an election. He added, 'It is something we will be doing
more often.'