Nation IN BRIEF : NEW JERSEY : Whitman Gets GOP Bid for Governor

Christie Whitman, a relative unknown who rode a wave of anti-tax sentiment to near-victory against Sen. Bill Bradley three years ago, won the Republican nomination to challenge Gov. Jim Florio in November. “We’re going to be Florio-free,” the former state utilities regulator declared. She withstood a barrage of negative ads in the final week to become the first woman to receive a major-party nomination for governor of New Jersey. Florio, who angered voters in 1990 with a $2.8-billion tax increase shortly after taking office, was unopposed for the Democratic nomination.