Aug 15 2005
Most elections are held in "even" numbered years, so the 2005 elections are called "off year" elections. Only two states, New Jersey and Virginia, elect governors the year after the presidential election. As a consequence, these races draw a lot of national attention and are used as a testing ground for positions and tactics to be used in the mid-term elections the following year.
New Jersey
Richard J. Codey is Acting Governor of New Jersey. New Jersey held its primary on 7 June 2005; seven candidates sought to run against Democratic candidate Sen. Jon Corzine (former Wall Street executive). Republican Doug Forrester (businessman, former West Windsor mayor, and 2002 US Senate nominee) won the primary. In August, Corzine was leading Forrester in the polls, 45 - 37 percent.
New Jersey has 4.7 million registered voters out of 6.2 million eligible citizens.
Virginia
Virginia's Governor Warner (D) cannot run for re-election due to term limits. The election is between veteran politicians: former Attorney General Jerry Kilgore won the Republican primary in June and faces Lt. Governor Tim Kaine (D). In July, polls suggested the race was a dead heat, but one-third of the voters were undecided.
Virginia has 3.8 million registered voters out of 5.3 million eligible citizens.