Palin Hurts McCain in N.J., Former GOP Governor Says

Republican former New Jersey Gov. Thomas Kean Sr. said Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin’s selection as the GOP’s vice presidential nominee hurts the ticket’s chances in his state, according to a report by PolitickerNJ.

During his years as governor, Kean starred in TV ads touting tourism in New Jersey. The famous slogan, “New Jersey and You: Perfect Together,” doesn’t apply to the Garden State and Palin, he said.

“I don’t know whether it’s cultural, political or issue-oriented. She seems to not do well in places like New Jersey, New England and California, and very, very well when it comes to the Midwest in the South. … She probably hurts in New Jersey and helps in other states,” Kean is quoted as telling a reporter for the politics website.

Kean, a centrist who served two terms in the 1980s and chaired the federal 9/11 Commission from 2002 to 2004, endorsed Republican presidential nominee John McCain last November and has campaigned with the Arizona senator in New Jersey.

The former governor’s choice of McCain during the GOP primary put him at odds with other prominent New Jersey Republicans who backed former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani. The Republican establishment in Kean’s state includes his son, state Senate Minority Leader Thomas Kean Jr., who unsuccessfully challenged Sen. Robert Menendez (D) in 2006.

–Jeffrey Young