Laura Bush Campaigns for Forrester in Newark

http://www.wnyc.org/news/articles/52807

Laura Bush Campaigns for Forrester in Newark

NEW YORK, NY, October 14, 2005 — First Lady Laura Bush visits Newark, New Jersey today to campaign for Republican gubernatorial candidate Doug Forrester. WNYC's Bob Hennelly has more.

The First Lady arrives as Forrester continues to close in on the Democratic front runner Senator Jon Corzine. Corzine has seen his double digit lead in the polls slip to single digits despite his attempt to tie Forrester to the increasingly unpopular President Bush.

With property taxes topping voters concerns both candidates have developed dueling proposals to roll them back. Corzine wants the relief targeted to low and middle income households while Forrester favors an across the board cut of 3O percent over three years.

Whichever multimillionaire wins will face a formidable fiscal challenge. Both the state's transportation and school construction trust funds are running out of money, while the state's public employee pension plans are woefully under-funded to met their long term obligations.