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N.J.’s Christie Wins in Deal, Too

Syrian Jews don’t hold a grudge

by
Allison Hoffman
November 04, 2009

The Syrian Jewish community of Deal, New Jersey, may have been humiliated by the public-corruption investigated by then-U.S. Attorney Chris Christie—five prominent rabbis were arrested there over the summer, along with a dozens of politicians and government officials across the state—but voters there didn’t seem to hold a grudge in yesterday’s gubernatorial election. Christie, the Republican, defeated Democratic incumbent Jon Corzine by a margin of only 4 percentage points statewide. But in Deal, according to a preliminary vote tally provided by the local GOP chairman, Christie outpolled Corzine nearly two-to-one, 156 to 79. (Independent Chris Daggett got 8 votes there.) “People voted taxes,” said Patrick Burgdorf, Deal municipal chair for the Monmouth County Republican Committee. “They had short memories about Christie being with the [U.S Attorney’s] office.”

Allison Hoffman is a senior editor at Tablet Magazine. Her Twitter feed is @allisont_dc.