Doug Forrester, in a postelection interview with the Newark Star-Ledger, "laid the blame for his loss in the governor's race last week directly at the feet of President Bush. He said the public's growing disaffection with Bush, especially after Hurricane Katrina, made it impossible for his campaign to overcome the built-in advantage Democrats have in a blue state like New Jersey."
In fact, Forrester said that "given the collapse in public opinion about Bush and the Republicans nationally, a state like New Jersey is ripe for almost complete domination by the Democrats."
However, a Star-Ledger/Eagleton-Rutgers poll released over the weekend found that President Bush was just one of several factors that led to Forrester's loss. The negative ad that Forrester ran in the last week quoting Corzine's his ex-wife also cost him votes.