Pallone to back Dean

[NewJerseyDem]

According to PoliticsNJ.com Congressman Frank Pallone of New Jersey is going to endorse Howard Dean on Monday. I think that this could be a pretty big thing because New Jersey has a lot of money and so far many of the leading politicians have yet to endorse. Only Congressman Rothman has endorsed Lieberman and Congressman Andrews has endorsed Gephardt.

[Frances]

1. I am beginning to think that Dean

has the best chance to beat Bush. But I will support any one but Bush.

[jiacinto]

2. What difference will it make

NJ's primary is very late and won't mean anything anyway.

[NewJerseyDem]

3. We're rich

New Jersey is the richest state per capita I believe. So, the presidential candidates do stop by New Jersey to take our money but not our votes.

[Journeyman]

4. In a word. . .

money.

Just cause you have it doesn't mean you'll win, but without it, you don't have a prayer.

[indictrichardperle]

5. Pallone is a smart man

Dean is going to win the nomination :D

The neo-cons better pack their bags.

[dajabr]

6. Meet-up for Dean in NJ is going to make it matter...

by not only supporting Dean, but also by supporting local dems en masse. It's not guranteed to get their support for Dean - but it won't hurt if you're running for office in NJ, and a bunch of Dean folks offer to help out.

[WilliamPitt]

7. But New York is right across the river

and an endorsement is never a bad thing.

[Tanketra]

8. You sure?

Seriously, with a lot of the candidates fairly bunched up in terms of money, and targeting different states in many cases ... there's a possibility that this nomination race could go down to the wire instead of determining an obvious candidate early on.

I don't expect it to play out like an old game of Road to the White House, where you'd have 6 people still in the running coming up on the last couple primaries ... but it's probably going to be closer/tighter than most recent races. I wouldn't want to write off any state the size of NJ in a race like this.