Bergen County Republicans: A Thorn in Junior's Side

by: Juan Melli

Wed Jun 07, 2006 at 09:42:41 AM EDT

Things in Bergen County are much worse for Tom Kean Jr than I originally thought. Bill Albers at Politicsnj has all the details. Guy Talarico will be staying in power as county chairman, the divisions between the BCRO seem to be as wide as ever, and the conservative wing of the Republican party is in control and will make Kean Jr's job in the county - a county he needs to win to have a chance in November - a living hell.

Alan Marcus, campaign manager for Kathleen Donovan, and challenger to BCRO chairman Guy Talarico, last night announced he's dropping out of next week's reorganization election:

And, as Kathleen Donovan's campaign comes to a close, so does the campaign of Alan Marcus for Bergen County Republican Organization Chairman. "Caliguire should be the person to designate the Chairman of the county party," said Marcus.Â "Todd clearly does not share my views, and he's entitled to a candidate for County Chair who does."

Juan Melli :: Bergen County Republicans: A Thorn in Junior's Side

It was a nasty race, with the BCRO candidates calling themselves the "Reagan Republicans" and labeling their opponents liberal "Whitman Republicans." Indications are that the split will be hard to heal. It's the sore winners who don't seem to care:

Thom Ammirato, a spokesman for Caliguire, is skeptical. "Feelings are pretty bitter right now," he said. "With the party divided, it's going to be hard to rally around one candidate. There needs to be a unifying force."

And with the "conservative" wing consolidating power, they will surely make Kean Jr miserable as he tries to sell himself as a moderate.

Republicans often run towards the middle following a primary victory to appeal to the nebulous "swing voters," but this year, Bergen Republicans may wind up running an unflinchingly conservative campaign straight through to November, if the candidates' victory speeches are any indication.

Last night, Kean Jr began his effort to distance himself from the Bush administration:

I've got news for Bob Menendez.Â He's not running against George Bush, he's running against Tom Kean.

But John Scalzo, who won the nomination for Surrogate on the Caliguire slate, took a very different approach:

"If you're not with George Bush, you're not with America!"

On this perhaps, Senator Menendez and the right wing Republicans in the state agree:

"Tom Kean, Jr. and George Bush are perfect together- perfectly wrong."

Tags: John Scalzo, Thom Ammirato, Todd Caliguire, Guy Talarico, Kathleen Donovan, Alan Marcus, BCRO, US Senate, Bob Menendez, Tom Kean Jr, Bergen County, (All Tags)

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Bergen County Republicans: A Thorn in Junior's Side | 2 comments

The triumphant conservatives are already calling for retribution, too. (0.00 / 0)

Ignoring that Donovan's toast when she goes up for re-election for Clerk (and giving the Democrats a chance to control every countywide office now that Liz Randall's freeholder seat looks to be a likely Democratic pickup), as the article you linked points out, the conservatives are talking about purging the party of the remaining elected moderates: the northern Bergen Assembly delegations, primarily MacNamara, Rooney, and Vandervalk. Knocking out multi-term incumbants would be an awful idea for the Republicans, but may, in a good Democratic year (which, sadly, I'm unconvinced 2007 will be) might create legitimate pickup opportunities up in districts that would otherwise be unwinnable. If Vandervalk and Rooney look like they're going to lose, they might even be convinced to switch parties to preserve their seats (well, Rooney might, I think Vandervalk is going to retire rather than fight for her seat). Strong moderate disaffection with the BCRO might create opportunities for Democrats in areas that we're already beginning to gain footholds in (such as Hillsdale, to name one town).

by: sucopsucoh @ Wed Jun 07, 2006 at 14:53:18 PM UTC

Bergen Republicans (0.00 / 0)

Bergen Republicans have long been fairly split along ideological lines. Kathe Donovan and former chairman Jim Sheehan never really saw eye-to-eye either. An alternative view to the one being reported is that Alan Marcus saw an opportunity to cash in on disaffection among liberal and moderate Republicans to become chairman. Guy Talarico's a smart guy and a good campaigner. I firmly believe the heated rhetoric in this race was more aimed at the man behind the ticket, Marcus, than at the proven vote-getters Donovan and Randall.

BTW - in 2003, winners were Donovan, Randall and Huttle. Maybe the party that realizes the common theme wins this year.

by: wilson40 @ Wed Jun 07, 2006 at 15:50:26 PM UTC