http://wcbstv.com/topstories/local_story_189120447.htmlRepublican Kean Distances Himself From President
(AP) FORT LEE, N.J. U.S. Senatorial candidate in New Jersey Tom Kean Jr. said he's pro-choice, favors embryonic stem cell research and is against drilling for oil in the Alaskan wilderness.
Kean also said President Bush has an open invitation to come campaign for him in the Garden State. After all, Kean is the Republican candidate, although his views on many issues mirror those of his Democratic opponent, Sen. Robert Menendez, and not the president.
In bluer-than-blue New Jersey, a heavily Democratic state where Bush's approval ratings are in the basement, Kean has the unenviable task of appealing to Democratic and unaffiliated voters, while trying to maintain his moderate Republican base.
"Obviously, he's been forced to do this because of the president's unpopularity," said Brigid Harrison, a political science professor at Montclair State University. "But if the president's numbers were higher, you can bet your bottom dollar he'd be coming here."