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McCain makes New Jersey campaign visit

By ANGELA DELLI SANTI | Associated Press Writer

May 9, 2008

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JERSEY CITY, N.J. - Though he just attended a New Jersey fundraiser that added more than $1 million to his campaign, Arizona Sen. John McCain confessed to not knowing much about state politics.

"I'm not that familiar with the political situation on the ground here," McCain said when asked whether he would consider asking U.S. Attorney Christopher Christie to stay on if McCain becomes president.

McCain deferred when pressed on whether he was familiar with Christie _ a federal prosecutor appointed by President Bush _ or Christie's work.

"I know it's been good," he said. "I'm certainly not familiar with the political environment here."

Christie's hiring of his one-time boss, former Attorney General John Ashcroft, for a multimillion dollar oversight contract was the topic of a recent congressional hearing on deferred prosecution agreements.

McCain was in New Jersey on Friday speaking at the Liberty Science Center about environmental issues, but his message became muddled when he was asked about other topics.

He disputed blogger Arianna Huffington's contention that she heard him say he voted against President Bush in 2000.

"It's nonsense," said McCain, who lost a bitter presidential primary race in 2000 to Bush.

McCain's appearance in Jersey City came on the heels of a big-ticket fundraiser in Lakewood on Thursday.

Fundraiser host Lawrence Bathgate said the event drew more than 1,000 people at $1,000-a-plate, boosting the McCain campaign by $1 million-plus.

It was McCain's second New Jersey visit in three months.

"New Jersey is in play," said his New Jersey campaign manager, state Sen. Bill Baroni.

Monmouth University Polling Director Patrick Murray said it will be an uphill climb for McCain to win New Jersey in a year with considerable Republican backlash expected at the polls.

"Everything is lining up here for either Clinton or Obama," said Murray. "It's a Democratic year nationwide, and (New Jersey is) a Democratic state because of what's going on with the economy."

A recent Monmouth University/Gannett New Jersey poll indicated that voters here preferred Obama to Clinton, and that either Democrat would beat McCain.

McCain was flanked by Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman and former New Jersey Gov. Tom Kean Sr., who introduced him as "a conservative with a conscience" on the environment.

"I'm proud of my environmental record," said McCain. The event had been planned for Sandy Hook, a barrier peninsula at the Jersey Shore, but was moved indoors to Jersey City because of the weather.

Among the priorities McCain said he would have as president: Working toward a global climate change agreement that includes India and China.

New Jersey environmentalists weren't as proud of McCain's record and quickly challenged it.

"His words say one thing, his record puts him in lockstep with the Bush administration and its dismantling of environmental programs," said Jeff Tittel, director of the New Jersey Sierra Club.

As Sens. Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton continued to slug it out for the party's nomination this week, McCain _ now the likely GOP nominee _ maintained a moderate campaign schedule that included a mix of private fundraisers and public addresses in the Carolinas, Michigan, New York, New Jersey and Texas.

"It's easier to run for a while before you have a real opponent," said Kean.

Murray, however, predicted that the natural advantage McCain is now enjoying will evaporate once the Democrats coalesce behind a nominee.