Robert Taft

February 6, 2008 - 10:45am

Record Turnout

The 2008 New Jersey presidential primary set a voter turnout records the Democrats. Over 1.1 million Democrats cast their votes in the early, unusually relevant, New Jersey primary.

In the last three presidential elections where New Jersey’s Democratic primary was held before any candidate won a majority of votes, the turnout was considerably less: 676,561 in 1984, 527,496 in 1980, and 360,835 in 1976.

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October 18, 2006 - 10:52am

The grass is always greener

Robert Taft has an incredible 80% disapproval rating, with just 11% approving of the job he is doing as Governor of Ohio, according to a new Quinnipiac University poll released today. Taft's numbers are partly to blame for GOP woes in his state: his party's candidate for Governor trails by a near 2-1 magin, the incumbent Republican U.S. Senator is behind, and the GOP is fighting to defend at least four House seats.

Last year, Taft was found guilty of failing to report 47 golf outings on his personal financial disclosure statement -- valued at about $5,800. In Ohio, an ethics violation like that is considered a criminal offense and the Govenror paid a $4,000 fine on four misdemeanor counts; he could have faced up to two years in prison. State law does not require public officials convicted of misdemeanors to resign and Taft refused to leave office.

Had Taft been the Governor of New Jersey, you have to wonder whether an infraction like not reporting a few dozen golf outings would have even made the front page of the Star-Ledger's New Jersey section.

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