Garden State Grapple

On the surface, New Jersey seems like an easy Senate seat for the Democrats to hold on to. The incumbent, Democrat Bob Menendez, who was appointed in January when Sen. Jon Corzine became the state's governor, is a seven-term former congressman. The state has been a solid hue of blue in the last four presidential elections and disapproval of President Bush is high. But polls show a dead heat between Menendez and his challenger, Republican Tom Kean Jr., a state senator whose name is political gold—his father was formerly the popular governor of New Jersey and his grandfather was a congressman.

It's shaping up to be quite a fight. Kean's camp has been trying to paint Menendez as the product of a broken New Jersey political system, rocked by scandal over the last decade. At the same time, Kean is trying to cut an independent path for himself—away from the GOP. He's been sharply critical of mistakes in Iraq and several of the president's positions. Menendez, however, says Kean is simply pandering in an election year and points to the fact that Laura Bush, former president George H.W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney have all stumped for Kean. He also proudly notes his own badge of courage: Menendez voted against the Iraq war resolution while in the House of Representatives.

David Gerlach recently spoke with both Menendez and Kean as part of NEWSWEEK'S ongoing Face Off series profiling the midterm's hottest races. Excerpts:

Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez

NEWSWEEK: Why do you think polls are showing a dead heat in your Senate race?

Bob Menendez: The reality is that while people say I am an incumbent, I have been in office a grand total of eight months. And running against someone [who], not because of his own making, but because of his father's making, has a name that is well recognized. Those are parts of the challenge. We have just started our advertising.

Are you concerned that some voters may, if they hear your opponent say he is also in favor of stem-cell research or having Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld resign, have a hard time differentiating between the two of you?

People will see through those as 60-day conversions to a position that Tom Kean Jr. doesn't really believe in. After taking $1.2 million in funds that have been raised by Mrs. Bush, Vice President Cheney and President Bush, it is very hard to walk away from the Bush agenda. For example, even knowing that there were no weapons of mass destruction, Tom Kean Jr. has continually said he supports the war in Iraq and would have voted for it. Even as the New Jersey legislature voted to raise the minimum wage, he voted against it—the same position as President Bush and Republicans in Congress.

Why did you vote against the Iraq war resolution?

I did my due diligence. I sat on the International Relations Committee. It became very clear to me there was no evidence of weapons of mass destruction, no imminent threat to the United States. In my mind, our engagement in Afghanistan, which I supported, was the right engagement, and we needed to finish doing the job there. [Iraq] was a war of choice and not of necessity.

You have called for a timetable for withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq to country nearby. Where would be a plausible location to move U.S. troops?

Our plan is multifaceted. It is a transition and withdrawal. It is to put part of the force over the horizon. I would listen to the generals to where in fact we would put those troops. It is about having a summit that brings together regional players who have a great interest in the stability of Iraq, as well as the Europeans and NATO. Right now, that is not happening. We are going it alone. It also is ensuring we have some troops whose whole focus is dedicated to any terrorist activity that may exist in Iraq, but not in the midst of being peacekeepers in a civil war. For that, we strengthen the Iraqi troops over the course of this transition over the next year.

What are you hoping to see come out of Congress regarding ethics reform legislation?

[Democrats] believe the Republican corruption of Jack Abramoff and Duke Cunningham and the K Street Project are unworthy of the American people. That is why I stood with [Sens.] Harry Reid and Barack Obama to offer some of the highest ethical standards and legislation to meet those standards. The Republicans rejected it. Hopefully we can get back to it once [Democrats] get a majority [in the Senate].

How do you respond to charges that you rented space in New Jersey to the North Hudson Community Action Corporation while you were lobbying for them to receive federal grants, and that in 2003 you sponsored legislation to ban media mergers, because it would affect stock you owned in Spanish Broadcasting System Inc.?

This campaign started with Tom Kean Jr. trying to "Swift Boat" my history as a reformer and [he] failed miserably. The bottom line is New Jerseyans will see through the Kean campaign on trying to play the politics of personal destruction.

But you did recently state that you regretted renting property to that charitable organization.

Even though the [House] Ethics Committee gave me approval. Even though it was absolutely an arms-length transaction. The bottom line is it is a diversion from the campaign. At the end of the day, Tom Kean will have to answer for why he took $10,000 in casino contributions, which legislators in New Jersey are barred from [doing and] send it to his federal account and ultimately switch his vote on the ban of smoking in casinos.

But it is legal to take contributions from a casino for a federal campaign.

While it may be legal ... it didn't stop the fact he still has to cast votes on the regulation of that industry.

You have noted that you helped restore federal funding to Amtrak. Why do you think it has been difficult to fund and improve the infrastructure of the passenger-rail network?

The Bush administration has kept Amtrak on life support. You can't do the maintenance and infrastructure investment. Amtrak post-September 11 is not only important for the economy of the region, it's important for tourism. It's also about having multiple modes of transportation so that, God forbid, [if] there is an attack, there is a way to make intercity connections. Intercity rail service in any part of the world is never fully self-sufficient on its own.

As a Cuban-American, what are your thoughts regarding the recent health problems of Fidel Castro?

Our hope, America's hope, is freedom and democracy for the Cuban people. If the potential transition to his brother [ Raul Castro ] on a more permanent basis becomes the reality, than we will see the beginning of change. Raul doesn't have a relationship with the people as Fidel does. He doesn't have the respect of the military. For the U.S., it is important to be poised to send a clear message to the people that we support them and respect the sovereignty of the country and [will] help them in their transition to democracy.

When you entered the Senate earlier this year, you said you had been dreaming about becoming a senator since you were 19.

As someone who grew up poor in a tenement and being the first in my family to go to college, for my ability to go from those beginnings to being one of 100 senators in a country of 300 million people, it is the story of the promise of America fulfilled.

Republican State Sen. Thomas Kean Jr.

NEWSWEEK: You have been critical of the Bush administration, notably its handling of the war in Iraq. Have you heard from the White House or the National Republican Senatorial Committee?

Tom Kean Jr.: What I am focusing on are issues that are important to citizens of New Jersey. I agree [with the president on] the tax cuts and a number of the antiterrorism initiatives. [There are] areas where I disagree: stem-cell research, which I support, or cutting spending, or immigration reform. And the conduct of the war in Iraq and the mistakes that have been made there. It is my responsibility to make people aware of that.

Some Republicans equate critiquing the war with emboldening terrorists.

One of reasons I called for Secretary [of Defense] Rumsfeld's dismissal is that I disagree with that assessment.

When did you come to the conclusion that he should resign?

It has been building for months. I have been following the war and the horrendous mistakes that have been made. When the secretary gave a speech ... to the American Legion, when he essentially compared people who had critiques of the war on terror to "appeasers," I thought the secretary of Defense was stepping into the political realm ... He had stepped too far and we needed a new set of eyes and ears at the head of the Pentagon to focus on the future of Iraq. As well as the future in North Korea, Iran and the future of [terrorism].

Did you think he should resign in the wake of scandals at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq?

Clearly, the buck always stops with the secretary of Defense in that regard. I thought if we had new generals in charge there would be a change in emphasis, a change in policy. And when we had new generals in charge, the same language and direction was coming out of the secretary of Defense. The world has changed so dramatically in the last six years. I do not support an immediate withdrawal of our troops. My concern is it would lead to a humanitarian crisis. [There's a] potential for a terrorist haven to be created.

You have stated that Iraq had nothing to do with 9/11, but you have also said you would have voted for the war had you been in Congress at the time and that President Bush wasn't disingenuous in the lead-up to the war.

I don't think he was. He had the same info that President Clinton had. The vast majority of Republicans and Democrats alike at that juncture thought there was a strong national-security component to that authorization.

Why do you think your opponent voted against that authorization when he was in the House of Representatives?

He has traditionally been on the fringe of his own party. The case [for war] was clearly made with people who had far better information than he did.

Do you have any concerns about alienating your conservative base with some of your stances?

The people realize they can no longer afford the status quo. Bob Menendez is the status quo. He voted for the largest tax increase in U.S. history and the largest tax increase in New Jersey. He has voted to give amnesty to illegal workers. He sat on the conference committee [that] stripped out risk-based funding on homeland security ... He failed the people of New Jersey. It's not because Republicans were in charge. It's more frequently a geographic fight. He had a seat at the table.

In one of your recent television ads, you call yourself an independent reformer. But the commercial does not mention you are Republican. Was that omission intended?

People want an individual who will go down to D.C. and stand up for them. Not someone who will be beholden to the party bosses, whoever they may be.

You have been talking a lot about ethics reform in Washington during your campaign. Why do you think the GOP-controlled Congress has not been able to tackle that issue?

It has been equally difficult for ethics reform to get through the [New Jersey] state legislature. I was thrown out of the state assembly because I was fighting for "pay-to-play reform." ["Pay to play" refers to the practice of rewarding lucrative government contracts to large campaign contributors.]

What did you learn from that as you try to get a GOP-controlled Congress to deal with the problem?

What we have seen is [that] Congress can't police itself. I would hope we would be able to create an independent entity that is nonpartisan in its makeup and that would be able to focus on those issues. This is a big part of this campaign. Bob Menendez sent millions of dollars to a nonprofit organization [from] which he received $350,000 in rent payments. He worked on their behalf. House ethics rules clearly state that an individual should not profit from their public service.

Some ethics questions have been lobbed at your camp regarding campaign contributions that you received from employees or board members of companies where your father serves on the board of directors.

Everything we did was legal. My father has never reached into corporations to ask for contributions on my behalf.

Are you ever concerned about public fatigue with a Kean political dynasty?

My father set a very high standard for public service. His father did [in Congress]. It is important to be proud of your ancestors. But more important that they be proud of you.