One notable news story that happened during the Andrews announcement and subsequent Lautenberg-Andrews fallout was that a somewhat unknown, but possibly formidable, opponent emerged at the last moment for Frank LoBiondo in NJ-02. David Kurkowski, a Cape May councilman, has made a late bid for LoBiondo's congressional seat, and Democrats are clearing the slate for him to go mano-a-mano with the person who once pledged a six-term limit, then reneged. Kurkowsi has deep roots in Cape May, judging from his resume, his company, and his personal webpage, and he credits his environmental and preservation efforts as councilman as some of his best accomplishments:
In Cape May, Kurkowski has been a strong supporter of saving the historic Beach Theatre, refurbishing the Washington Street Mall, building a new convention center and getting wireless Internet.
In his first comments to the Press of Atlantic City, Kurkowski lays out a general strategy for the November election:
"I'm committed to peace and prosperity. I believe the wartime economy has had a tragic effect on our country. I lay a lot of blame on LoBiondo and his support of Bush and the war. I will be attacking him on many issues,"
This will work if voters pay close attention to LoBiondo's actual stand and record on Iraq, stem cell research, and immigration - and if independent publications like Blue Jersey pick up the slack and force the press and papers to cover LoBiondo's problematic record, as with what happened, for example when Blue Jersey began covering LoBiondo's role in the Deepwater scandal in 2006.
Cumberland County, and other NJ-02 counties such as Atlantic Co., have cleared their party lines for Kurkowski, and CC Chair Lou Magazzu, who once ran unsuccessfully against LoBiondo, seems to be an unofficial advisor to Kurkowski. The two other candidates, Viola Thomas-Hughes, who ran a spirited, but resource-deficient, campaign in 2006, and another candidate, Bridgeton schoolteacher Celeste Riley, have both apparently cleared the way for Kurkowski.
Analysis: Kurkowski was targeted for running partly because of his personal wealth, business connections and ability to raise money. This will be at of the utmost importance, since LoBiondo spent about $1 million in 2006 to fight off Thomas-Hughes, and LoBiondo has nearly $1.4 million in the bank. Kurkowski, though, is already talking money and says he didn't want a poorly-funded candidate to take on LoBiondo.
Cape May is one of the few Republican bastions left in South Jersey, though the Van Drew ticket put somewhat of a dent in that power control in November's election. That said, this is a place where Democrats aren't even running candidates against the all-Republican freeholder board. By ensuring or at least blunting some local votes in the GOP stronghold of Cape May Co., Kurkowski can then have better numbers in Cumberland, Salem, Atlantic, Burlington and Gloucester (especially the latter two) counties. With Obama at the top of the ticket, and huge increases in Democratic voter registration, this 50-50 Bush-Kerry district from 2004 could be in play. I also see Andrews, a fellow South Jerseyan with ties to the Cumberland Co. Dem organization, as the preferable candidate upticket here in terms of gaining strength for Kurkowski.
Bridgeton, Millville and Vineland are three somewhat economically-depressed places, as well as Salem, that are feeling the economic crunch especially, and a populist economic message, and several visits to these Cumberland Co. towns could make Kurkowski even better positioned possibly to win. Kurkowski should hit LoBiondo on Iraq at every chance that he gets, emphasizing LoBiondo's continued support of the endless war and its detrimental effect on the numbers and readiness of N.J.'s national guard.
This is a district where it is a matter of when, not if, a Democrat takes the seat. Kurkowski has a chance but will need financial support and volunteers; once he gets some fundraising networks established, we should create an ActBlue page for him.
