A recipe for the NJ GOP

Is it any wonder the Republicans can't make headway in statewide elections? A quick look at Tuesday's results in the U.S. Senate race shows that Robert Menendez built up a 157,000-vote plurality over Thomas H. Kean Jr. from just three traditionally Democratic counties: Essex (70,000), Hudson (55,000) and Camden (32,000). Throw in Middlesex, Mercer, Bergen and Passaic, and that margin swells to 251,000. That's quite a gap for any candidate to overcome.

That obstacle has nothing to do with the gerrymandering of congressional or state legislative districts, which are drawn to protect incumbents. When it comes to running throughout the state, the GOP candidate has to do more than get his core supporters - usually conservatives - out to the polls. He or she has to attract independents, who outnumber voters affiliated with either major party and who, we learned Tuesday nationwide, want to be courted by candidates and not ignored in what one analyst called "this era of base politics.''

There is a center in American politics - people who look at candidates and issues unfiltered by a red or blue prism. The Republicans in New Jersey would do well to learn who they are and what they want - and craft a campaign to capture their loyalty.