Word: kean
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...That's the campaign platform of - and challenge faced by - many Democrats around the country. But this challenger is Republican Tom Kean, Jr, the state senator and son of former New Jersey governor and 9/11 Commission Chairman Tom Kean, who is running for the Senate in New Jersey. His contest against Democrat Robert Menendez, who was appointed to this seat earlier this year after Jon Corzine left the Senate to become governor, has become one of the most competitive and crucial Senate races in the country - and at times one its ugliest...
...Menendez himself has not been implicated in any wrongdoing, but many Democratic leaders in the state have been involved in scandals going back more than two decades. Kean's campaign calls Menendez "Boss Bob," alleging he operates in Hudson County politics like an old-time machine politician. A Kean aide told TIME, "We want more info on Bob Menendez. Unfortunately, you have go to prison to find Bob Menendez's friends," a not-so-subtle reference to Democratic politicians in the state who have been sent away in corruption scandals. For his part, Menendez is now attacking Kean after learning...
...Kean has a chance to stand out from the G.O.P. problems nationwide for a simple reason: his father. Governor Tom Kean served from 1982 to 1990 and was one of the state's most well-liked chief executives in generations. His service on the 9/11 Commission has further burnished his reputation as an independent-minded, moderate Republican, just the kind who can have success in the state's politics. Though his son has limited experience compared to Menendez, having only served as a state legislator since 2001, Kean's family ties go a long way in New Jersey. When...
...Kean also has another advantage in this race. Though Menendez has been in Congress since 1993, he has only been in the Senate for nine months. Unlike most incumbents, he also has to spend significant time and money introducing himself to voters across the state, and Kean's charges of corruption have put him on the defensive. Still, Menendez will have plenty of ways to get his message out, as financial disclosure forms filed in June showed he had $7 million to spend on the race, compared with $2 million for Kean. And in a state where 64% of residents...
...Jersey electoral history; the Garden State frequently has very tight, down-to-the-wire races, which the Democrats ultimately pull off. "This is a late deciding state, historically," he told TIME. And indeed, a new poll out this week showed Menendez with a slight, four-point lead over Kean. The fallout over the Foley scandal could possibly tilt the race to Menendez, but Kean has tried to get out in front of that issue by calling for Hastert's head. Keeping some distance from his own party, Kean knows, may be the only way to get to Washington next year...