By ANGELA DELLI SANTI
Associated Press WriterTRENTON, N.J. (AP) -- The tight three-way race for governor of New Jersey, a state battered by high taxes and scarred by government corruption, was too close to call after balloting ended Tuesday, according to an Associated Press exit poll of voters.
Voters had their pick from an unpopular incumbent who had help from President Barack Obama, a blunt-talking former prosecutor who vowed to rein in taxes and a third-party candidate looking to capitalize on a disillusioned electorate.
Obama endorsed Democratic Gov. Jon Corzine in five campaign appearances, including a rally in the state's largest city on Sunday, two days before the election.
Corzine faced a strong challenge from Republican Chris Christie, who has campaigned on a platform of smaller government but has been criticized for ethical lapses.
The race was a tossup heading into Election Day; polls closed at 8 p.m. Eastern time. Independent Chris Daggett, a former Environmental Protection Agency administrator, could play a spoiler role.
He performed well in the first debate, scored points for his plan to expand the sales tax base.
The AP exit poll showed Daggett was falling far short of the 20 percent he drew in some earlier polls.
Independent voters gave President Barack Obama a huge advantage in the state last year, but they heavily favored Christie on Tuesday.
Voters said their top concerns were the economy and jobs, followed by property taxes.
Voters who said the economy was important favored Corzine, while voters who said taxes mattered most supported Christie, according to the exit poll.
Republicans complained to election officials Tuesday that Democrats had paid for automated calls promoting Daggett; the Democratic State Committee acknowledged paying for the calls but said they are legal.
Jackie Booth, an unaffiliated voter from Hamilton, near the state capital, said concerns over wasteful spending and taxes drove her decision to vote for Christie.
Booth, a salesperson, said she "hasn't been thrilled with the whole campaign process" but settled on Christie after watching two candidate debates.
New Jersey voters haven't elected a Republican statewide in a dozen years, and a Christie victory would sting the president heading into next year's midterm elections. Obama carried New Jersey by 15 percentage points last year with 2.2 million votes, about the total number expected to be cast Tuesday.
The president made the case for Corzine over the weekend, urging 11,000 supporters in Newark to show the commitment to the incumbent they showed Obama last year.
The president's appeal worked for Roger Johnson, a 50-year-old restaurant employee from Cherry Hill who said he had qualms with Corzine but voted for him anyway.
"I went in to help the president. I wasn't going to vote for Corzine," said Johnson, a registered Republican who usually votes for Democrats. "But I did."
But many voters are disenchanted with Corzine, a former Goldman Sachs CEO who failed to deliver property tax relief to the middle-class.
He froze property taxes for senior citizens and provided rebates for low-income residents, but taxes remain the nation's highest, averaging $7,045 per household.
Christie has been criticized for remaining vague about how he would solve the state's chronic financial problems. There were also revelations that he lent money to a subordinate and failed to report the loan.
The only other governor's race this year is in Virginia, where the Republican held a comfortable lead.
The exit poll of 1,424 New Jersey voters was conducted for the AP by Edison Research in a random sample of 40 precincts statewide.
Results were subject to sampling error of plus or minus 4 percentage points, higher for subgroups.
Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
