TRENTON, N.J. – A bid to recall New Jersey Gov. Jon S. Corzine appears to be sputtering toward an unsuccessful finish.

The effort's chairman, Carl Bergmanson, said Monday that backers have less than 100,000 signatures. They need 1.2 million signatures to get a recall question on November's ballot.

Bergmanson said the group faces a Wednesday deadline to submit petitions but won't be doing so, unless they get an unexpected surge in petitions.

The state's recall law took effect in 1995, and this was the first time anyone tried to recall a New Jersey governor.

“It looks like we're not going to becoming anywhere close to hitting what we need, unfortunately,” Bergmanson said. “Obviously, we're disappointed, but we're pretty happy with the response that we did get.”

Bergmanson said he decided to try to recall the Democratic Corzine because he failed to back a citizens-led constitutional convention to reform property taxes and proposed significant highway toll increases and municipal aid cuts, especially for small towns.

Corzine stopped pushing the toll increases amid public and legislative opposition and restored some municipal aid after negotiations with the Legislature.

“I think we played a part in having some impact,” Bergmanson said.

To get a recall question placed on the ballot, state law required the gathering of signatures from 25 percent of the voters in the state's last general election. Each petition page had to be notarized.

“The whole process is incredibly onerous,” Bergmanson said. “It shouldn't be easy, but it should not be impossible.”

Corzine's office and the state Democratic Party didn't respond to requests for comment Monday.

Before California's 2003 recall election, in which Gray Davis was replaced by Arnold Schwarzenegger, the only other recall of a governor occurred in North Dakota in 1921. In 1988, Arizona voters got enough signatures to have a recall election for Gov. Evan Mecham, but he was impeached before the vote.