By NOREEN GILLESPIE
The Associated Press
Tuesday, November 8, 2005; 12:13 AM

-- A pair of big-spending, notably nasty races for governor in Virginia and New Jersey entered their final hours Monday, as candidates made last-minute blitzes and brought in political heavy-hitters to help campaign.

In New Jersey, Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Corzine and Republican Doug Forrester spent the day stumping for votes in coffee shops, train stations and senior citizen centers after a week dominated by allegations of infidelity and corruption.

A Quinnipiac Poll released Monday gave Corzine a slight edge, 52 percent to 45 percent. The Star-Ledger/Eagleton-Rutgers Poll had Corzine leading 43 percent to 37 percent.

Asked at a Jersey City rally why people should vote for him, Corzine replied: "I want them to believe I have a vision for the state of New Jersey."

Forrester, who swept through diners and coffee shops with New York Gov. George Pataki, described his mood as "pumped."

"I was told a year ago if we came into the final week in single digits, we'll win. We are going to do this tomorrow," he said.

President Bush touched down briefly in Virginia on his return from a South American trade mission for a final rally with Republican candidate Jerry Kilgore. Democrat Tim Kaine campaigned with Democratic Gov. Mark Warner, who is barred by state law from seeking a consecutive term.

"He's got a clear agenda, and that's what you have to have to be governor," Bush told a crowd at the Richmond International Airport.

Recent polls show a deadlocked race between Kaine, the lieutenant governor, and Kilgore, a former attorney general.

"We're going to win this election _ we're going to sweep it," Kaine told several hundred gathered at the downtown Farmer's Market. "We're at the lead of this race because Virginians are asking themselves this basic question: 'Who can we trust to keep Virginia moving forward?' That's why the momentum is with us."

The two gubernatorial races are the most prominent in this year's off-year election. New York, Detroit, Houston, Boston, San Diego and Atlanta have mayoral races on Tuesday's ballot. Seven states are considering ballot issues.

In New York, Republican Mayor Michael Bloomberg held onto a clear lead against Democratic underdog Fernando Ferrer. Both were out at dawn, greeting commuters in an effort to boost turnout.

Ferrer made appearances with the Rev. Al Sharpton and Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois, while Bloomberg staged a final blitz around the city.

"Let's not take anything for granted," he told seniors at a center near Chinatown, where his speech was also translated into Chinese. "We've got to vote, we've got to keep working."

In California, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger made a last minute-push for a set of proposals that pollsters indicated were on shaky ground. The initiatives would cap state spending and give Schwarzenegger more power to cut budgets, rein in public employee unions, and take away legislators' power to redistrict.

"Give me the tools so I can make the changes in California," Schwarzenegger. "That's why people sent me to Sacramento, to fix the broken system."

Director Rob Reiner and Warren Beatty, who have campaigned against Schwarzenegger initiatives, added some Hollywood sparkle.

"You have to look inside these Trojan horses and see what is really there. They are deceptively named, and they are not what they appear to be on the outside," Beatty told the Associated Press.

The gubernatorial races in Virginia and New Jersey both broke state spending records. In New Jersey, the candidates spent more than $70 million combined on the campaign, much of it their own money.

Forrester ran a TV ad quoting Corzine's ex-wife, who told The New York times that "Jon did let his family down, and he'll probably let New Jersey down, too." Corzine's campaign also aired some controversial spots, including a 19-year-old who lost the use of most his limbs in a wrestling match three years ago. "Doug Forrester doesn't support embryonic stem cell research, therefore, I don't think he supports people like me," said the teen, Carl Riccio.

In Virginia, the harshest ad criticized Kaine, saying "Tim Kaine says Adolf Hitler doesn't qualify for the death penalty," referring to a suggestion he made to a panel of newspaper reporters. Kaine fired back in an ad, pledging to carry out death sentences "because it's the law."

Voters in both states were frustrated.

"There's a lot of people starving in this country, and we're spending $60 million on ads," said Bill Mirrer, a coffee shop owner in Ridgewood, N.J., among the list of Monday's campaign stops.

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Associated Press Writers Donna De La Cruz and Jeffrey Gold in Newark, N.J., Sara Kugler in New York, and Bob Lewis and Larry O'Dell in Richmond, Va., contributed to this report.