Pocketbook Issues Play Well in N.J. Senate Race: Pocketbook Issues Focus In NJ. Race
ItÛªs not that either is that pinched. Bradley, a former New York Knickerbockers basketball star, and Bell, a onetime California speechwriter, both can afford to dress well and eat at decent restaurants. And this year both are spending money at an unprecedented pace.</br></br>WhatÛªs concerning them so is that the pocketbook issue clearly is uppermost in the minds of New Jersey voters this year, and both Bradley and Bell are runningÛÓagainst each other ÛÓfor New JerseyÛªs lone up-for-grabs U.S. Senate seat.</br></br>ÛÏWe seem to have a single-issue electorate this year,Û says Bell, who started out with a broader approach but has been emphasizing economic issues since he saw how .well they clicked. Bradley also views the economic issue as paramount: ÛÏInflation,Û he says, ÛÏis the most important issue here.Û</br></br>Indeed, the New Jersey race IsnÛªt the only one in which the economic issue is dominating off-year election bids. Polls show that almost everywhere in the nation, taxpayersÛª con- cern is re-emerging, and with a vengeance. In short, the pocketbook issue is back as number one in American politics.</br></br>A Gallup poll taken earlier this summer shows an overwhelming 60 percent of American voters now view the economic question as decisiveÛÓcompared with only 10 percent for the next-most-critical issue, foreign policy. And candidates on the front line are reporting similar responses. .