Chuck Todd On Fifth District Race

I was alerted to this by one of my readers (thanks Andrew). Chuck Todd, NBC News Political Director, was over on Newsvine leading a Q&A and two Fifth District residents joined in.

Here are Todd's thoughts, and the comments that prompted the responses, on the race between Representative Scott Garrett and Dennis Shulman.

hpeterson: My district, NJ 5th, is finally on the radar!

Todd: Well, NJ 05 may be on the radar, but it's still a ways away from being in the target zone... I've heard about NJ 05 targeting for years and it never comes to pass but this appears to be another wave election and weird things happen in wave elections...

hpeterson: Hey now! I have dreams of a liberal, blind, psychologist, rabbi as my next congressman...please don't end that dream before Labor Day!! (No kidding, that is our candidate!) Scott Garrett is very conservative for NJ... but you're right I have gotten my hopes up before...but you never know!

[snip]

Andrew: Yeah, Todd, if you could give us a little side tangent: who do you think will win, the ultraconservative Garrett or the blind rabbi who has the story but nothing else?

Todd: Incumbent NJ Congressman rarely lose without a scandalous reason. It's just too hard and expensive for challengers to get known. While Garrett may be too conservative for the district, I'm not sure the voters are angry enough at him to toss him out.

If Todd's looking for a spot to follow the race, might I recommend (ehem) Blog the Fifth.