Esquire backs all NJ incumbents but Garrett

Not that it much matters, but Esquire magazine has endorsed all but one of the incumbents in New Jersey's Senate and congressional races -- 5th District Rep. Scott Garrett, whom it describes as "a reactionary who thinks government has no role, except, of course, to limit 'un-Christian' behavior." Esquire backed the re-elections of all four Shore-area incumbent congressmen -- Frank Pallone, Jim Saxton, Christopher Smith and Rush Holt.

The magazine also endorsed Robert Menendez in the U.S. Senate race. "Tom Kean Jr., son of the former New Jersey governor," the endorsement read, "is relying on his name and cheap attacks in his run to replace incumbent Menendez. Unfortunately, his charge that Menendez was involved in a major kickback scandal in the state in the early 1980s has proved not just exaggerated but blatantly untrue."

Saxton received a backhanded endorsement: "Anyone who in defending the Bush tax cuts calls the federal income tax 'steeply progressive' opens himself to questions regarding his intellectual honesty. That said, Saxton has a history of bucking the GOP establishment, especially on environmental issues."

Of Smith, the magazine said, "Smith's respect for life cuts both ways. One the one hand, he's an especially vocal opponent of abortion rights; on the other, he strongly opposes his party's cozy economic relations with nations (China, Vietnam, Saudi Arabia) widely known to abuse human rights. All in all, he comes out looking good."