New Jersey is a state the national GOP should be targeting. The congressional delegation is evenly split with only a slight advantage to the Democrats. Going into this year’s special election, Steve Lonegan was viewed as a heavy underdog to Newark Democratic Mayor Cory Booker. But Lonegan, the former nayor of Bogota, a northern Jersey town, is gaining in the polls. That’s what happens when you go on offense. See the latest numbers from Quinnipiac University.

“Just because outside observers do not see a clear path to victory for Lonegan does not mean he isn’t running an aggressive camapaign, because he is, and it does not mean he’s not running an aggressive campaign, because he is,” so says Ben Dworkin, a political science professor with Rider University in Lawrencville, N.J. “There is a solid 40 percent who will come out and vote for him.”

If the election moves into single-digits, and it’s getting there, it might be time for a push from the national party. The GOP missed an opportunity back in 2000 when Jon Corzine almost lost in an upset despite his heavy financial advantage.