Would Corzine Serve A Full Second Term?
This weekend, New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine (D) will benefit from yet another visit by President Obama, the third of the campaign and second in two weeks. Vice President Biden has also made multiple visits, during which he has hailed Corzine as a key adviser to the transition team on economic matters.
Given that praise, it raised an interesting question in New Jersey that hadn't really been a factor when the governor seemed a sure loser this fall. If Corzine is re-elected, would he serve out his full term, or would he leave early for a post in the Democratic White House?
"Not a chance," Corzine told RCP last week. Then, he hedged a bit. "I should never say never. But I intend to be here until I'm done with this office."
The governor's office has been a transient post in the two decades since Republican Tom Kean completed two consecutive terms. Democrat Jim Florio was defeated in his bid for a second term in 1993. Republican Christie Whitman resigned during her second term to join the Bush administration as EPA administrator. Her departure, and later the resignation of Democratic Gov. Jim McGreevey, were two in a series of events in which the governor's office changed hands seven times in a five-year span.
In an effort to end that, New Jersey voters approved a constitutional amendment to create the office of lieutenant governor. If Corzine were re-elected, and eventually depart before his term is through, state Senator Loretta Weinberg would take his place.
The most likely scenario for a Corzine departure would probably require Obama being re-elected in 2012. At that point, a Cabinet post in the administration's second full term would seem more appealing to a governor entering his final year in office.