Zimmer signaled that he will try to ride Gov. Whitman's popularity as far as it will take him. With Whitman at his side, Zimmer touted his record as a fiscal conservative and vowed to ``accomplish in Washington what Gov. Whitman and the Republican legislature has accomplished in Trenton.''
For Torricelli, the campaign props consisted of several county sheriffs and uniformed police officers who lauded the Democrat's stance on crime issues. Officials from the state Fraternal Order of Police were on hand to endorse Torricelli because of his longtime support of gun-control laws.
Taxes and crime are expected to be central issues in a race that is expected to be one of the most expensive and closely contested in the nation. Independent observers believe that Torricelli and Zimmer are running virtually even, with the Democrat considered the slight favorite because of a huge fundraising advantage.
Almost from the time he announced his candidacy, a centerpiece of Zimmer's campaign has been his opposition to tax increases and support for federal budget cuts. He repeated that theme yesterday, citing the accolades he has received from taxpayer groups and pledging to continue that record in the Senate.
``When I first ran for Congress, I pledged not to vote for any broad-based tax increase,'' Zimmer said. ``I have kept that promise, and I will continue to keep it as a Senator.''
At the same time, he branded Torricelli as a traditional Democratic ``tax-and-spend liberal.'' He cited Torricelli's support for President Clinton's first budget bill, which included a tax increase, and accused his opponent of being ``willing to play the pork-barrel game,'' driving up the federal budget in the name of obtaining money for projects in New Jersey.
