Inquirer says "Schundler is the choice."

[Keystone Phil]

My take on the issue.

Sunday's Philadelphia Inquirer is known for it's stupid (sorry if I throw in my opinion here) editorials but this one was great. As I sat in my Jersey shore house, I decided to take a look at the Currents section of the paper. I arrive at the editorial section and what do I find? GOP Primary for Governor - Schundler is the choice I read the editorial but I knew the reason for this endorsement in an instant.

The Inquirer is one of the most liberal, Democrat favoring newspapers on the East coast. The only time they endorse a Republican is if a) they're unopposed or b) the GOP primary is being held. Option B is the case here. New Jersey's Gubernatorial primary is about a week away. The two main candidates (the only candidates polling out of the single digits) are former Jersey City Governor and 2001 Gubernatorial nominee Bret Schundler and former West Windsor Mayor and 2002 Senate nominee Doug Forrester. Forrester is the frontrunner in this race. Most polls show him up by atleast five or six points. Forrester is more of a center-right Republican while Schundler is clearly one of the most conservative candidates in the race. "So if the Inquirer is so liberal, why would they endorse the more conservative candidate?" It's simple - the desire to see the Democrats ride to victory so easily is evident in their endorsement.

Many know that I have stated that Jon Corzine is not a lock in November. However, if Bret Schundler is the nominee, he will likely win. The Inquirer notices this so what do they do? Be "nice" to Bret by giving him an endorsement, pray that he gets nominated (very unlikely) and smash him every chance they get in the Fall. I'm sure the Schundler camp notices this and probably won't be boasting that the left wing newspaper has decided that their candidate is "the choice" on June 7th. And I really don't think they realize how much something like this would hurt Schundler. Schundler's supporters are obviously the more conservative voters so does the Inquirer think that they'll react in a positive manner when they see the paper's endorsement? There are still undecided voters out there and I'm sure a decent amount are conservatives. Does the Inquirer think that this would help Schundler win them over? We're close to Primary day in the Garden state but that doesn't mean that Schundler's opponents won't find time to jump on this. Can't you see the campaign literature now? Can't you hear the radio ads? "So called 'conservative' Schundler gets left wing endorsement!" The intention of the Inquirer is obvious but the strategy will fail.

[Cashcow]

If Schundler wins, the Republicans are going to get massacred. I hate him. I don't mind Corzine or Forrester nearly as much.

And I think you might be right about what the Inquirer is doing.

[Keystone Phil]

If Schundler wins, the Republicans are going to get massacred.

And the Inquirer knows it and will be praying that he pulls off an upset.

[Jake]

Good analysis. All I know about the Inquirer is that I thought their sports section was too small.