Forget his Olympic-sized defeat, the next measure of President Obama's shrinking influence will be taken in one month in New Jersey. The gubernatorial race between incumbent Jon Corzine and former US attorney Chris Christie is in the home stretch and Mr. Christie, the Republican, leads in all polls as he has for months. What does this have to do with the White House? The Obama administration is at least as involved in trying to get Governor Corzine re-elected as it is in trying to get New York Governor David Paterson to step aside.

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When Senator Arlen Specter switched parties in April of this year he claimed it was for reasons of principle; that the Democratic Party platform was more in keeping with his ideas and ideals. Everyone else knew the truth - he was afraid of losing the Republican nomination to a true conservative and thereby losing the chance to hold his seat in the Senate. Switching his party affiliation guaranteed him the Democrats' slot on the ticket and, at the time, probably victory in the general election in 2010. Not so fast.

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In a usually reliable blue state, there are strong indicators that the first major election in the Obama era could go very very red. Incumbent Jon Corzine is being strongly challenged by Republican and former US Attorney Christopher Christie. The most recent polls have Mr. Christie way ahead despite some recent campaign help from President Obama. The president spoke at a Corzine rally calling the Governor "an ally with the Obama administration in helping us build a national recovery plan." (source) That may have won cheers from the partisan crowd but the economically suffering people of New Jersey are not so sure they want an ally of this administration in Trenton.

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