Sometimes it's difficult having been a lifelong resident of New Jersey. People always joke about my state, ask what exit I'm from (163) and what oil refinery I live near. Either that, or they say that the only places in New Jersey that they've ever seen are the undeniably non-aesthetic Turnpike and Newark International Airport.
New Jersey is actually an incredibly scenic state. It is ringed with beaches, pine forests and trout streams and also contains one of the largest freshwater aquifers in the world.
Yet more importantly, and more to the point, New Jersey is filled with suburbs -- suburbs of New York City, of Philadelphia, of Newark and of Trenton. The men and women who live in these suburbs are the instrumental middle-class voters of our political system.
These suburban voters are registered republicans, registered democrats and independents. Even though these voters, regardless of their political affiliation, often vote independently, their opinions, fears and feelings toward government can dramatically shape the focus and make up of our Congress, governor's mansions and White House.
In looking at recent political history, the suburban voters of New Jersey have voted very interestingly, and forebodingly, for democrats this fall.
In 1992, suburban voters withheld their support from President George Bush, adding their support primarily to Ross Perot, but in a smaller degree to democrat Bill Clinton. These voters reflected the nation's concerns at the time, pertaining to the state of the economy and a desire for change.
In 1993, New Jersey's suburban voters switched their allegiances in a mild shift away from President Clinton's early administration policies. They elected Republican Christie Whitman governor, in an extremely close race. She won the governorship primarily on her pledge to reduce voter's state taxes by 30 percent over three years.
Both of these past races should cause concern for democratic candidates for both the Congress and for the governor's mansions. For yesterday, Ross Perot encouraged his supporters to vote for the GOP on Nov. 8. As well, a host of GOP candidates, such as John Rowland of Connecticut, George Pataki of New York and Ellen Sauerbrey of Maryland, all running for governor, have proposed Whitman-style tax cuts and pushes for efficient government.
If the suburban voters of New Jersey are representative of suburban voters nationwide, their concerns over taxes, government spending and the Clinton Administration are well worth noticing. They are worth noticing because the success of their governor may be a precursor to a day of disaster at the polls for democrats Nov. 8.
