NBC New York | Brian Thompson

New Jersey governor-elect Chris Christie’s budget team met with state treasury officials Monday and “We did not get any pleasant news,” Christie said.

The administration of outgoing governor Jon Corzine has been projecting an $8 billion shortfall in next year’s budget.

But as the economy and tax revenue limp along, “that’s at the low range” of what the real number will be, according to the Christie.

But Christie did promise “I will not increase taxes to balance the budget.”

*Cherry Hill courier Post | Christie: State worse off financially than previously thought

NY Times | DAVID M. HALBFINGER and DAVID W. CHEN

Reeling from a widespread corruption scandal that has ensnared some of his closest allies, Gov. Jon S. Corzine of New Jersey struggled on Friday to assure his supporters that he can survive the blow and stabilize his campaign.

Mr. Corzine, whom allies described as discouraged and frustrated, saw a member of his cabinet tainted by the investigation and mayors he has befriended being led away in handcuffs.

Politics 1 | Vin Gopal

A new Strategic Vision (R) poll shows former US Attorney Chris Christie (R) leading Governor Jon Corzine (D) by a 53% to 38% vote, with former State EPA Commissioner Chris Daggett (Independent) at 5%.

• Real Clear Politics | A new Strategic Vision (R), conducted after President Obama’s event with Gov. Jon Corzine (D), shows the incumbent falling only further behind.

Philly | Cythia Burton

New Jersey Republican gubernatorial candidate Christopher J. Christie today announced - via Twitter - that he has chosen Monmouth County Sheriff Kim Guadagno as his running mate.

Selecting a woman from the vote-rich Monmouth County, Christie said, she “has the executive experience New Jerseyans need in their lieutenant governor,” according to a YouTube video from the campaign (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e_qRU0pNXPA).

Bloomberg | Stacie Servetah and Terrence Dopp

U.S. President Barack Obama is in New Jersey today to boost Democratic support for Governor Jon Corzine, whose approval ratings have dropped to an all-time low amid voter anger over the state’s troubled finances.

Courier Post | Andrea Clurfeld

Republican gubernatorial candidate Chris Christie has widened his lead over Democratic Gov. Jon S. Corzine, according to a Monmouth University/Gannett New Jersey poll released today.

The results put pressure on President Barack Obama to help boost the governor’s re-election chances.

Corzine trails Christie by 8 percentage points, 45 to 37 percent, among likely voters, according to the poll. The gap was 4 percent in April among registered voters.

MSNBC | Mark Murray

GOP Chairman Michael Steele appeared with Chris Christie in South Jersey yesterday, saying a Christie victory would “prove once and for all that all the hype about, ‘The party’s over for the GOP. They’re done. Stick a fork in them,’” is unwarranted. Speaking to a “cheering crowd in the backroom” of Larry’s II restaurant, Steele “took shots” at Governor Jon Corzine, “highlighting this week’s visit of Obama” on Thursday. “When the president comes here this week, I’m sure a lot of folks should ask the president: Do you support the tax increases? Do you support the bloated government? … Otherwise, why are you here and why are you coming in July and not October?”

Philly.com | Associated Press

PITMAN, N.J. - Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele says the outcome of the New Jersey governor’s race is important to the country and will be a bellwether for the party.

At a campaign event in Pitman, Steele called Republican candidate Chris Christie “the real deal,” and jokingly warned him not to “screw up” the November election against Gov. Jon Corzine.

Christie maintains an early lead in the polls against the Democratic incumbent.

Philly.com | ANGELA DELLI SANTI

TRENTON, N.J. - When Chris Christie testified to Congress about agreements he brokered as U.S. attorney allowing companies to avoid criminal trials, the GOP gubernatorial challenger hoped to put the issue to rest.

When Gov. Jon Corzine signed a $29 billion state budget that increased taxes and cut property tax rebates, he hoped the recessionary spending plan was behind him.

Television and radio ads and Web videos from both campaigns indicate those themes won’t be retired anytime soon, however, as both camps attempt to exploit vulnerabilities they see in their opponent.

Google News| BETH FOUHY

Sarah Palin’s decision to step down as Alaska governor was driven in part by her wish to help Republican candidates across the country, associates say.

But in New Jersey and Virginia, both of which have competitive governors’ races this year, the prospect of a visit from the party’s 2008 vice presidential nominee has so far drawn a muted response from the GOP contenders in both states.

In Virginia, a historically conservative state where Obama became the first Democratic presidential candidate since 1964 to win, Republican Bob McDonnell said Tuesday his campaign had had conversations with the Palin camp but stopped short of saying whether he wanted her help.

CQ Politics | No Author Listed

While Democrats have enjoyed two election cycles where they made huge strides in building their congressional majorities, we’ve been struck by the series of polls in the last few weeks that show a far grimmer outlook for their gubernatorial colleagues as we approach 2010.

Here’s a summary of the last five governor polls we’ve posted here in Poll Tracker: