Whenever New Jersey plays an important role in events that are of national importance, political scientist Brigid Harrison can expect her phone to ring...and ring...and ring. An expert on New Jersey politics, she was called upon during the presidential election as a political analyst by several media outlets, including The New York Times, The Philadelphia Enquirer, The Des Moines Register, BBC News Radio and New Jersey Network , which recently took footage of students in Harrison's Polling in the United States class and talked to her about public opinion polls in New Jersey.

"There's something for everyone in this state," said Harrison. "People have diverse opinions, and that's one of the reasons why I love political science in general. No day is ever the same; no class is ever the same. There are always new, exciting things going on in New Jersey."

Harrison recently discussed the presidential election, politics in New Jersey and the race for New Jersey's next governor.

Q. Where did the Democrats come up short in the presidential election?
A. With all due respects to Sen. Kerry, the biggest mistake the democrats made was in not nominating a southerner. What has become clear, even in 2000 with Al Gore coming from Tennessee, is that a candidate has to get at least some of the south in order to win, particularly Florida, for example. So your chances electorally increase if you have a southerner on the ticket, a la Bill Clinton.

Q. What gave the Republicans the edge?
A. One of the things the Republicans did well was in mobilizing deeply religious, evangelical Christians. That group, which traditionally had some power in the Republican primaries, became mainstream, an active component of the Republican Party, which meant re-election for President Bush. I don't think he would have won Ohio without the evangelical vote. That strategy, which [chief strategist] Karl Rove developed, was brilliant because that was an under-tapped base of the Republican Party. Now the Democrats need to go out and find a parallel for that group, and they haven't been able to do that, yet.

Q. Are there any parallels?
A. There are potentials. Democrats do especially well with African-American voters, as long as they turn out. There are all kinds of untapped constituencies out there, and I think President Bush did better among women voters than he did in 2000. That's another thing the Democrats could be doing better--exaggerating the gender gap or getting it better on their side. That could have made a difference in a state like Florida, where there are a lot more women voters than there are men.

Q. Will we see a change in ideology in the White House during the next four years?
A. We're already seeing it with the exodus from the president's cabinet. President Bush sees himself as having a mandate for the neoconservative policy that made his administration what it was, and I think we're going to see more policies in that direction and less mediation by moderate voices like Colin Powell. The president has nothing to lose at this point because he's already won his last election. For someone who is painted as a true believer in his framework, I'd say that this is how he builds his legacy. This is what he wants to be known for. Whether or not you agree with that is a different story, but he is certainly acting as if he has a mandate.

Q. What will be the hot issue of the N.J. gubernatorial race?
A. Property taxes will be a big one. There's already talk about some kind of constitutional convention regarding property taxes and a reformulation of the tax structure. I also think the morality issue will play a role because it's played such a prominent role in national politics, and with Gov. McGreevey it's going to play out, though I think to a lesser extent than it has nationally because this state has a more liberal political culture than the rest of the nation. Domestic security also will be an important issue.

Q. What is your analysis of the upcoming election?
A. It's going to be interesting, because most of the polling data say that if Sen. Jon Corzine runs for governor, no matter who the Republicans put up against him, he'll probably win. That raises some interesting questions. For example, will that predicted win mean there won't be a contested Democratic primary? If that were the case, the Democrats in New Jersey would become much more unified. The Republicans are going to try and find someone who's essentially untested but has a good base of support, someone along the lines of a Doug Forrester who did well against Corzine. They're going to need someone with a strong base of support and a lot of money. That person may not be out there already.

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