Top N.J. McCain aide forsees win

New Jersey State Senator Bill Baroni thinks Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) has a great shot at winning over Garden State voters come November, arguing yesterday afternoon at a talk sponsored by the College Republicans that the bitterly divided Democratic Party will continue to work in McCain's favor.

Baroni, New Jersey state chairman for McCain's 2008 presidential campaign, represents Mercer, Hamilton and Middlesex counties.

McCain has both the experience and the unifying appeal that his Democratic opponents are struggling to fulfill, Baroni said.

"As we saw from our friends in the Clinton campaign, they will attack Senator [Barack] Obama [(D-Ill.)] for being too inexperienced, and folks from the Obama campaign will attack ... Senator [Hillary] Clinton [(D-N.Y.)] for being too divisive and saying that she can't bring the country together," Baroni explained.

Baroni noted that, at this juncture, a key difference between the Republican Party and the Democratic Party is unity.

Baroni said that though the Republican Party has been divided, McCain has united the Republicans more than President Bush had prior to the 2000 election.

"Our party is very united right now and the other side ain't," he said.

Baroni's interest in McCain's first presidential bid in 2000 was initially driven by his admiration for the Arizona senator's work on campaign-finance reform.

"I worked for him and became a true McCainiac," he said.

Baroni's support for McCain has never faltered despite the ups and downs of the senator's second run for president. "It was a rolling endorsement," he said of his continued allegiance to McCain during this election cycle.

"I am very proud that I work for this man. He is a good and decent man," Baroni said, stressing McCain's record of service and commitment to this country.

"He is the candidate for president of the United States who understands the military, understands foreign policy and understands the challenges facing America across the globe," he added.

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Referring to a famous television ad from Clinton's campaign that questioned Obama's ability to lead in a national emergency, Baroni said, "If the question they are asking themselves is, ‘At three o'clock in the morning, who do you want to answer the phone?' John McCain is the answer to that question."

Though the Democratic Party will unite eventually, Baroni asked, "Who will bring the country together after that?"

McCain's ability to draw support from independent voters will also help him, Baroni said. He said one-third of those who voted for Clinton in Tuesday's Democratic primary in Pennsylvania said they would vote for McCain in November.

New Jersey

Though Baroni represents a Democratic district, he believes McCain will win his home town of Hamilton by a significant margin. "They like independent maverick John McCain because he tells it like it is," he explained.

In other New Jersey towns, however, Baroni knows that convincing voters to support his candidate will not be easy. The New Jersey campaign will be a grassroots effort, he said.

"People know the importance of this election, and our job is to go talk to them," he explained.

"We will not have as many ads or dollars [as the Democrats], but I believe we will have an extraordinary effort for John McCain here in New Jersey," Baroni said.

Baroni implored the College Republicans to join the campaign effort. "I am here to ask for your help," he said, noting that the McCain campaign's headquarters in New Jersey will be in Mercer County.

"I'm a big believer in getting people involved in campaigns," Baroni said, explaining that "outside the boundaries of this university we desperately need your help."

"This is the least I can do for the man who has given his life to public service, and I hope you agree with me," Baroni said.

College Republicans press secretary Conor Sutherland ’10 thought Baroni "presented a compelling case that New Jersey is indeed in reach for Senator McCain."

"With a bit of hard work and elbow grease, a Republican will be able to give the Democratic nominee a good fight in New Jersey," Sutherland said.

College Republicans president Andrew Malcolm ’09, who is confident that Obama will be the Democratic nominee, also believes McCain has a good chance to win in New Jersey come November. "I just don't think that Obama's message resonates in New Jersey the way John McCain's does," he said.

Malcolm said Baroni's lecture successfully educated students and engaged them in the campaign. "I think he was a great speaker," he said. "He is a young guy, so I think he can really relate to Princeton students."