In 2004, I was one of the first Senators to meet with a young state senator from Illinois who had recently joined a crowded Democratic primary race for the US Senate seat.
I was the chair of the Democratic Senate Campaign Committee, and, as such, I was supposed to be impartial. If you take sides in a contested primary, it had better be for a very good reason.
But after that dinner, I just couldn’t stay impartial. I walked away convinced that Barack Obama was unlike anyone I had ever met in my life.
I was convinced the Senate needed Senator Barack Obama. We needed someone with his unique perspective, his thoughtful and careful approach to confronting our biggest challenges, and his commitment to the progressive direction I felt that our country needed to move in.
Turns out though, I was wrong.
Not about Barack Obama, but about where his talent, commitment and vision were needed the most. The Senate didn’t need him. America did.
Yesterday— almost five years after our first dinner— I stood next to President Barack Obama, and I was honored as he endorsed my candidacy for re-election as Governor of New Jersey.
Much has changed for both of us since we first met, but as we spoke privately backstage before the rally, I felt the same excitement that I felt when we first met in 2004.
As we discussed our economic stimulus programs, the need to provide every American with access to quality healthcare, investing in green and renewable energy, and the importance of ensuring all our children have access to a quality education -- regardless of where they live, it was even more clear to me that the President shares my vision for New Jersey’s future, and that I share his vision for America’s future.
For a long time, the GOP leadership in Washington was out of step with the priorities of New Jersey’s families. I suspect you felt the same in your state. But it is clear to me that Democratic leaders in state houses across the country finally have a friend and a partner in the White House. That is truly exciting.
In his first campaign event since being sworn in President Obama came to New Jersey because he knows that state elections have very real consequences-- for the nation as a whole, for Democrats as a party, and, most importantly, for the working families of New Jersey.
We have accomplished so much for our state in the last 4 years. As President Obama highlighted yesterday in his speech, the Corzine administration:
-- Has provided more property tax relief than any other administration in New Jersey history.
-- Was the first administration in 60 years that has reduced the size of government, not just talked about it.
-- Not protected funding for New Jersey's schools, but also reformed them with tougher standards.
-- Expanded Children's Health Insurance Program by 80,000 more kids.
-- Turned New Jersey into a leader in clean energy.
-- Led the way on the economic recovery with the NJ economic simulus plan and was an ally with the Obama administration in helping to develop the national recovery plan.
The choice in this election couldn't be more clear, and every one of the 17,000 people in attendence yesterday knows how much is at stake in this election. I hope that this community does as well.
We won a great victory in 2008, but there is so much more work to be done.
We need to continue supporting Democrats at every level of government—in New Jersey and in Virginia this year, and then all across the country in 2010 and beyond.
We finally have a partner in the White House who shares our priorities and vision for the future, and I’m confident in the great things that we can accomplish over the next four years.
While the jobs that President Obama and I have been entrusted with may have changed since our first meeting back in Chicago in 2004, our sense of a shared responsibility to the future, the personal values that guide us, and our deep friendship and respect remains the same.
I was honored to receive the President’s support yesterday, and I hope that I can count on yours as well.
Please take a few moments to check out some pictures from yesterday’s event, and then take a moment to friend our campaign on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, and add your name to the map of supporters on our website.
All the best,
Governor Jon Corzine
JonCorzine09.com