From the Right

This year's New Jersey Senate race has a lot of political analysts scratching their heads. Bob Menendez, the Democratic incumbent has out-raised state Sen. Tom Kean Jr. two to one and has benefited from the advantages of incumbency and New Jersey's heavily Democratic population. Yet, the two candidates were virtually tied in the polls coming into Election Day. The closeness of this race is a testament to how informed voters are viewing Menendez's dubious, if not unethical conduct, and it speaks to the fact that Kean is not your average Republican.

As resentment crystallizes nationally against the war and the Bush administration, there is talk of using this election as a sort of national referendum against the Republican Party. As tempting as this argument may seem to some voters, upon further inspection of the candidates' records it is clear that Kean is the best choice to represent New Jersey. Kean has established himself as a moderate, and his record and policies are more representative of New Jersey residents than they are of national Republicans. He supports a women's right to choose, stem cell research and has been an impressive environmental advocate, arguing to raise the fuel efficiency standards for automobiles nationally. Though Kean has stated he would have voted initially to authorize force in Iraq, he has publicly called for Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld '54's resignation in recent months and has asserted that the military occupation has been mishandled.

Kean is also a fiscal conservative, who has made taxes and the high cost of living in New Jersey a major campaign issue. He has campaigned on policies supporting a balanced budget, affordable healthcare and missile defense to counter potential threats from North Korea and Iran. If elected, he has made it clear that he would push for the government to adopt the recommendations made by the 9/11 commission, of which his father, former Governor Thomas Kean '57, was chair. As a Republican, he represents the best chance of helping to replace Secretary Rumsfeld, as he has vowed to pressure the White House from within the party if elected to the Senate.

Kean has spent much of his campaign talking about ethics in government, and the conduct of his opponent has helped highlight the need for Kean's message. For the past few decades, politics in New Jersey has been plagued by corruption, graft and the inefficiencies of big political machines. In this year's election Menendez has had to defend actions for which he currently finds himself under investigation by the U.S. Attorney's Office. Sen. Menendez lobbied to help provide a nonprofit organization with $9.8 million in funding and then rented property he owned in Washington, D.C. to the same organization, amounting to a greater than $300,000 windfall. Menendez is also associated with Donald Scarcini, a former political advisor who was recorded on tape trying to bribe a Hudson County contractor to hire a former employee. Menendez's associations and actions are suspicious at best, and every week new allegations against him reiterate New Jersey's political culture of corruption.

Kean will be a proud, independent and, most importantly, honest voice for the state of New Jersey, and he deserves the support of anyone who truly cares about the future of the state. The Princeton College Republicans have been happy to campaign in three counties for Kean, and we are confident that his earnest and ethical nature, coupled with his bipartisan positions, will serve New Jersey well. Jonathan Fernandez '08 is the Campaign Chair for the College Republicans. He is a religion major from Monroe, CT, and may be reached at jcfernan@princeton.edu.