New Jersey doesn't mind when neophytes, outsiders, and rich guys run for office there. Bill Bradley was a political novice and scarcely a New Jerseyan when he was elected to the Senate. Lautenberg, a businessman, financed much of his initial campaign. Pete Dawkins, a wealthy Republican, moved to New Jersey for his failed Senate run.

New Jersey is hospitable to atypical politicians for two reasons. First, it is a state of transients. It is suburban, and relatively few residents are New Jersey loyalists. Authenticity has little electoral value. Second, it costs lots of money to run statewide in New Jersey, because candidates must buy ads in the biggest media market in the country (New York) and the fourth biggest (Philadelphia). This makes New Jersey, like California, a state where rich candidates have a natural advantage. New Jersey voters may not want rich candidates, but no one else can afford to compete there.