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KEAN AND FLORIO RACE TO THE WIRE WITH BUSH AND BRADLEY ON HAND [1]
['Joseph F. Sullivan']
Date: 1981-11-02
The candidates clashed over their plans for the economy on WNBC's ''News Forum'' television program. Mr. Kean said that the state was in a ''permanent recession'' and that his plan to reduce the corporate income tax would help. Mr. Florio said the plan would force the state to reduce aid and force local governments to raise property taxes.
Dr. Clifford Zukin, director of the Eagleton Poll at Rutgers University, said the election did not appear to be a referendum on President Reagan or his policies, even though the debate over the state response to cuts in Federal aid took up the lion's share of time during the campaign and despite the fact that Mr. Reagan and members of his Administration visited the state during the campaign.
''Party considerations are dominating the election,'' Dr. Zukin said. ''While he is still very popular among Republicans, President Reagan is now less popular with Democrats in New Jersey than former President Carter was with Republicans a year ago.''
Both camps have concentrated much of their effort on the vote in Bergen County, which could prove crucial. Most observers believe Mr. Kean must carry the predominantly Republican county by more than 50,000 votes to begin to offset expected Democratic majorities in Hudson, Essex and Middlesex Counties.
Mr. Florio is counting on normal Democratic majorities in these areas and on an appeal to ethnic voters, especially Italian voters who are registered Republican, to stay even with Mr. Kean in the northern counties and then defeat him in the south. Mr. Florio is the Representative from the First District, with Camden County a stronghold, and with a week left in the campaign, independent polls, such as the Eagleton, have given him a 20-point lead over Mr. Kean in the eight southernmost counties. Geographical Strengths Noted
Dr. Zukin said Mr. Florio's strength in the south was undiminished since an earlier poll in September. He said Mr. Kean continued to hold a ''slight'' edge in the five central counties and said the Republican candidate had reduced Mr. Florio's lead in the eight northern counties from 7 points in the earlier poll to 2 points in the latest survey, taken between Oct. 20 and 27.
[END]
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[1] Url:
https://www.nytimes.com/1981/11/02/nyregion/kean-and-florio-race-to-the-wire-with-bush-and-bradley-on-hand.html
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