James J Florio

Gov. James J. Florio is the grandson of Italian immigrants and the son of a Brooklyn Navy Yard ship painter. Thus, he says, he shares the struggles of working people. One of his most traumatic memories as a child, he says, was watching a union "shape-up" with his father. He recalls it as "a very, very degrading process. A hundred people showed up in the hall, and they would pick five people out of the 100. It was almost like a slave market."

Two years ago, millionaire Al Checchi doled out a record $40 million in his bid for the California governorship, only to lose the Democratic primary to Gray Davis. Now Checchi's spending mark is being challenged--and may be broken--by another wealthy businessman who is testing whether big bucks can overcome political inexperience. Jon S.

President Clinton has appointed New Jersey Gov. James J. Florio to be chairman of the White House Commission on Presidential Scholars, which honors 141 top high school seniors as presidential scholars each year.

The woman who served as liaison to the black community during Christine Todd Whitman's run for governor on Sunday rebutted claims by campaign manager Edward J. Rollins that she was told to tell black ministers not to preach against Whitman. The state's Democratic Party chairman said Sunday that they would seek to question Lonna Hooks as part of their lawsuit to overturn Whitman's narrow victory.

Thousands of residents gathered at the Statehouse in Trenton, N.J., to protest a new package of higher taxes, taunting Gov. James J. Florio and President Bush with chants of "Florio, Bush read our lips: No new taxes!" The villain for most of the estimated 4,500 protesters was Florio, the Democratic governor who proposed a higher and expanded sales tax, a higher income tax, and increased taxes on items such as cigarettes and liquor. All but the income tax took effect Sunday.

Incumbent Gov. James J. Florio's lead over GOP challenger Christine Todd Whitman is slipping, but he's still 15 points ahead in their bitter battle for governor, according to a New York Times-WCBS-TV poll. The poll shows Florio favored by 49% of registered voters surveyed, compared to 34% for Whitman. The last Times-WCBS poll, taken three weeks earlier, showed Florio ahead, 51% to 30%.

The woman who served as liaison to the black community during Christine Todd Whitman's run for governor on Sunday rebutted claims by campaign manager Edward J. Rollins that she was told to tell black ministers not to preach against Whitman. The state's Democratic Party chairman said Sunday that they would seek to question Lonna Hooks as part of their lawsuit to overturn Whitman's narrow victory.

Gov.-elect Christine Todd Whitman visited two black churches on a fence-mending mission Sunday and heard sermons praising the way she handled allegations that her campaign paid black ministers to suppress black votes. "Our pulpits and our churches are not for sale," the Rev. DeForest B. Soaries Jr. told about 350 worshipers at First Baptist Church in Somerset. Whitman "was willing to affirm her belief in the integrity of the black church," Soaries said.

Republican officials released campaign finance documents Saturday to contradict claims that they spent $500,000 to hold down black turnout in the New Jersey governor's race. The documents from Gov.-elect Christine Todd Whitman's campaign, the Republican State Committee and the Republican Governor's Club cover spending from Oct. 1 to Nov. 11. Although they do not indicate that money was spent to suppress voting, they fail to provide all of the specifics. Whitman's campaign manager, Edward J.

Rep. James J. Florio (D-N.J.) said Tuesday that the role of former Assistant Navy Secretary Melvyn R. Paisley in the controversial award of a multibillion-dollar Aegis ship-defense system contract to Unisys is "deserving of intense scrutiny." The congressman, who had opposed the award when it was made in 1986, said subsequent disclosures in The Times and Defense News suggest that the contract was awarded for reasons "other than national security."

In a deposition that offers an eerie window on modern American politics, Republican political consultant Edward J. Rollins has sworn that "psychological warfare" with another political consultant led him to "fabricate" a story of paying to suppress black voter turnout in the New Jersey governor's race. But he admitted that he did discuss such an effort in general terms with a campaign aide, although he has no idea if it was carried out.

Gov.-elect Christine Todd Whitman visited two black churches on a fence-mending mission Sunday and heard sermons praising the way she handled allegations that her campaign paid black ministers to suppress black votes. "Our pulpits and our churches are not for sale," the Rev. DeForest B. Soaries Jr. told about 350 worshipers at First Baptist Church in Somerset. Whitman "was willing to affirm her belief in the integrity of the black church," Soaries said.

Republican officials released campaign finance documents Saturday to contradict claims that they spent $500,000 to hold down black turnout in the New Jersey governor's race. The documents from Gov.-elect Christine Todd Whitman's campaign, the Republican State Committee and the Republican Governor's Club cover spending from Oct. 1 to Nov. 11. Although they do not indicate that money was spent to suppress voting, they fail to provide all of the specifics. Whitman's campaign manager, Edward J.

Incumbent Gov. James J. Florio's lead over GOP challenger Christine Todd Whitman is slipping, but he's still 15 points ahead in their bitter battle for governor, according to a New York Times-WCBS-TV poll. The poll shows Florio favored by 49% of registered voters surveyed, compared to 34% for Whitman. The last Times-WCBS poll, taken three weeks earlier, showed Florio ahead, 51% to 30%.

New Jersey Gov. James J. Florio, given up for politically dead just three years ago, has mounted an impressive comeback in his drive for reelection, thanks to bumbling by his Republican opponent and an aggressive style sharpened by a top adviser from President Clinton's 1992 campaign.

President Clinton has appointed New Jersey Gov. James J. Florio to be chairman of the White House Commission on Presidential Scholars, which honors 141 top high school seniors as presidential scholars each year.

In a deposition that offers an eerie window on modern American politics, Republican political consultant Edward J. Rollins has sworn that "psychological warfare" with another political consultant led him to "fabricate" a story of paying to suppress black voter turnout in the New Jersey governor's race. But he admitted that he did discuss such an effort in general terms with a campaign aide, although he has no idea if it was carried out.

Democrat David N. Dinkins became New York City's first black mayor by defeating Republican Rudolph W. Giuliani on Tuesday, while Democrat L. Douglas Wilder, a grandson of slaves, claimed the Virginia governorship in a close contest with Republican J. Marshall Coleman. The apparent victory for Wilder, now Virginia's lieutenant governor, would make him the first black to win election as a governor in U.S. history.

James J. Florio, a cocky young seaman who had learned to use his fists at the Brooklyn Boys Club, was a promising amateur light-middleweight fighter--until the day he agreed to take on a Seabee from Louisiana who outweighed him by 16 pounds. As best Florio can recall of that bout, Sherman White hit him six times--and managed to break something different with each blow. More than 30 years later, Florio's left cheekbone is still flattened from the reckless match that ended his career in the ring.

Gov. James J. Florio is the grandson of Italian immigrants and the son of a Brooklyn Navy Yard ship painter. Thus, he says, he shares the struggles of working people. One of his most traumatic memories as a child, he says, was watching a union "shape-up" with his father. He recalls it as "a very, very degrading process. A hundred people showed up in the hall, and they would pick five people out of the 100. It was almost like a slave market."