Schundler Wins

Conservative Bret Schundler shunned the state`s Republican organization but on Tuesday became the GOP nominee for governor, a sign many said would show New Jersey`s once moderate party has taken a hard turn right.

Schundler will face favored Democrat Jim McGreevey in the November election. Democrats outnumber Republicans in New Jersey 25 percent to 19 percent, and the remaining 56 percent of independents are largely moderate and support abortion rights. "They said we could never win, but you didn`t believe them did you?" Schundler said to cheering supporters he called the "Schundler Army." "If you want government to empower you and not take power over you, you need to join us."

With 88 percent of precincts reporting, Schundler had 57 percent of the votes, or 173,907, to 43 percent, or 129,387, for Franks.

Both campaigns expected a low voter turnout, but preliminary results showed nearly 26 percent of eligible voters cast ballots, the highest for a governor`s primary since 1981.

A four-term congressman, Franks conceded the election about 90 minutes after the polls closed and said he would likely no longer seek public office. He told his supporters to support Schundler.

Schundler "deserves the opportunity to have a united party at his side. I intend to help lead that effort," Franks said.

Schundler received a congratulatory phone call from President Bush at 10:20 p.m. Former GOP presidential candidate Jack Kemp and national party Chairman Jim Gilmore attended Schundler`s victory rally.

"This is a great victory for (Schundler`s wife) Lynn and Bret, but more important it is a victory for the ideas of Mr. Lincoln our founder and Ronald Reagan," Kemp said.

In the weeks before the election, analysts and political insiders said a Schundler victory would take the party in a dramatically conservative direction, abandoning decades of moderate-to-liberal policies that got candidates like Christie Whitman and Tom Kean elected governor.

Schundler, 42, who opposes abortion and supports gun ownership, spent nearly two years building a network of conservative groups and single-issue supporters.

He largely ignored social issues in his campaign and focused on school choice and lower property taxes and auto insurance, branding Franks "just another tax-hiking liberal."

Franks, 49, had the backing of nearly all county Republican chairmen and sought to portray Schundler as a far-right extremist. He warned that the GOP would go down in defeat in November if a conservative won the nomination.

The same internal battle between social conservatives and centrists is being fought by Republicans in several states, including Virginia, the only other state with a governor`s race this year.

Franks resigned from the House to run for the Senate last year, losing to Democrat Jon Corzine, a former investment banker who spent a record-shattering total of more than $60 million.

Franks did not join the race until April, after acting Gov. Donald DiFrancesco withdrew over critical news coverage of his business dealings. DiFrancesco, who became governor when Whitman left to join the Bush administration as head of the Environmental Protection Agency, refused to immediately endorse Schundler.

"Bret Schundler needs to explain himself on the issues, and his legislative agenda," DiFrancesco said. "I could be energized for the party. Whether I could be energized for Bret Schundler or not, he`s going to determine that."

DiFrancesco and Whitman stood by Franks as he made his concession speech. State party chairman Joe Kryillos left immediately after Franks spoke and then headed to Schundler headquarters where he accepted a check from Gilmore.

On the Democratic side, McGreevey won easily against Elliot Greenspan. The 43-year-old Woodbridge mayor, who lost narrowly to Whitman in 1997, has been campaigning for most of the past four years.

(Copyright 2001 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

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Author: 6 ABC - Action News (AP)