NEWARK, N.J. — Sen. Robert Menendez led a coterie of local politicos through the crammed Brownstone Diner, pitching Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York to elderly voters eating breakfast at the Jersey City restaurant.
"She's a known commodity," he said.
Less than 10 miles away, Newark Mayor Cory Booker strode along a row of dilapidated houses in Newark, stopping to chat with a young man whose two pit bulls paced behind the chain-link fence.
"Will you vote for Barack Obama on Tuesday?" Booker asked.
For the first time in more than 20 years, New Jersey is a serious battleground for the Democratic presidential nomination.
Until recently, both of the national campaigns largely ignored New Jersey, thinking Clinton would sweep the state.
Despite the 127 delegates at stake, the campaigns only had a handful of offices in the state until a few weeks ago, according to New Jersey representatives for both campaigns.
Now, in the days leading up to Super Tuesday, the race has narrowed considerably here, prompting supporters of both candidates to scramble for votes and resources.
Obama plans to appear in New Jersey today, a last-minute visit highlighting the state's importance.
A win here by the Illinois senator -- even a strong showing -- would be a setback for the senator next door, observers said.
"New Jersey has become a sort of a bellwether: It's perceived to be a state that Hillary Clinton should be winning by a landslide, and the fact that her lead is narrowing reflects what's going on nationally," said Philip Klinkner, a professor of government at Hamilton College in New York. "If he wins there, that's a huge loss for Hillary Clinton."
This weekend, both campaigns dispatched their top lieutenants to the northeastern front lines.
The fight for the nomination pits the political establishment against younger city leaders and grass-roots activists.
Clinton supporters include Gov. Jon Corzine and much of the state leadership as well as Menendez, a longtime political boss.
Obama backers include former Gov. Richard Codey and Jersey City Mayor Jerramiah Healy as well as Booker, a young black leader and rising national star.
Menendez, who is of Cuban descent, has known Clinton for years, and people in the Clinton campaign have floated his name as a vice presidential candidate.
Booker was introduced to Obama by Gayle King, a friend of Oprah Winfrey's, at a meeting at the Newark Hilton in 2005.
