When he announced last week that he was gay and had a homosexual affair, McGreevey, 47, a married father of two, said he would step down Nov. 15. That meant the state Senate president would become governor for nearly a year. The deadline for a special election is Sept. 3.

Since the Senate president, Richard Codey, is a Democrat, Republicans are howling. Editorial pages across the state also have urged McGreevey to quit now.

Now some state Democratic leaders are working behind the scenes to force McGreevey aside. They want to avoid more political damage to the party. And they want U.S. Sen. Jon Corzine (news, bio, voting record) to run in a special election this November because he would be the early favorite.

In a short campaign against a Republican opponent, Corzine would be formidable, if only because of name recognition. He spent $63 million of his own money to win his Senate race in 2000. He probably would not even need his personal wealth in a short campaign.