But McGreevey has the united, enthusiastic support of his party and a fresh image, and voters seem prepared for a change after a decade of Republican control. DiFrancesco's fans, particularly neighbors in his home town, Scotch Plains, say he didn't do anything that other politicians haven't done, without being pilloried, and they may be right. Let the record show that Donald T. DiFrancesco announced his withdrawal from politics with grace and a bit of humor. He will finish out the year as acting governor and Senate president, permitting him to attend to some loose ends. Meanwhile, most Republicans are forming up behind their fallback candidate, former Rep. Bob Franks, who lost by only a narrow margin in last year's U.S. Senate election despite being outspent by a jillion bucks.
Franks is likable, well-vetted, calm, and moderate.
He is expected to do as well as any Republican could in what is shaping up as a Democratic year. To turn to the second controversy, the Assembly speaker, Jack Collins, has declined the kind invitation of the Senate Judiciary Committee to impeach Justice Peter Verniero. This should have been predictable. Impeachment would require a fresh round of hearings in the lower house, with cross-examination of witnesses by lawyers for Verniero. Then would come a divisive, bitter vote.