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Thu Dec 20, 2007 at 10:38:27 AM EST
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Roll Call has a story(behind a firewall) about the DCCC targeting 40 GOP seats and from the sound of things, NJ will feel some of the love...The first six Democratic candidates set to enjoy the largess of the DCCC's fundraising effort include state Senate Majority Leader Debbie Halvorson in Illinois' 11th district;state Sen. John Adler in New Jersey's 3rd; state Assemblywoman and 2006 nominee Linda Stender in New Jersey's 7th; Franklin County Commissioner and 2006 nominee Mary Jo Kilroy in Ohio's 15th; state Sen. John Boccieri in Ohio's 16th; and 2006 nominee Gary Trauner in Wyoming's at-large.Van Hollen said these six candidates made the cut for immediate fundraising assistance because they are running in open seats, have no primary challenger, and have proved their mettle as politicians and fundraisers since entering their respective races.
"Our 'Frontline' Members have put themselves in a very strong position," Van Hollen said of potentially vulnerable incumbents. "It allows us to partner with these campaigns - to team up with these campaigns - and do what we can to direct resources into these campaigns."
Van Hollen went on to explain the importance of these early moves..."We're now letting our base know, our supporters around the country know, that it's critical that they now start directing resources to some of our key challengers," Van Hollen said. "We think we've done a good job putting our Frontliners in good shape." So the end of the fundraising quarter is December 31. If you can spare some change between your holiday gifts, please show our candidates some love.
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Mon Dec 10, 2007 at 09:04:25 PM EST
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( - promoted by njdem)
Tonight, the Ocean County GOP had its say...Ocean County Republicans today picked Freeholder John Kelly as their candidate for Congress. Kelly, who was backed by the party screening committee on Saturday, won unanimously after Freeholder Joseph Vicari dropped out. This sets up a battle of the bosses with Gilmore backed Kelly facing off against Paulsen backed Myers. State Chair Tom Wilson for his part has decided that issues don't really matter and it's all about the Benjamin's...Campaign donations could help settle the contest between Burlington and Ocean counties, according to Republican state chairman Tom Wilson.
"Fundraising is a huge part of it," Wilson has said.
With his corporate ties, many expect Myers could raise big money before the primary election.
Paulsen and Gilmore are "very pragmatic people," Wilson said. If one candidate has raised "a prohibitive amount" of money by April, Wilson said he expected party leaders to avoid an inter-party fight. So let them "fight it out on the issues" for now, but Wilson has signaled that if Kelly and Gilmore don't get going fast, they may be outbid for a shot at a Congressional seat.We'll see how much the GOP primary voters and his running mates for the US Senate like his money when they see what he's doing with it... So with news that Lockheed Martin executive Christopher Myers is mulling a bid for Congress in the third district (where is close friend, Jim Saxton, is retiring) came the obligatory check of his previous campaign contributions. They are mostly to Republicans like Saxton (and to Mitt Romney's presidential campaign), but earlier this year he did write a $500 personal check to Frank Lautenberg's campaign for re-election to the U.S. Senate. Does it matter? That's a good question, does it matter? Enjoy the show.
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Wed Dec 05, 2007 at 08:35:45 PM EST
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For all the talk of the huge ugly battle that would be the GOP primary campaign in NJ-3, Ocean County Boss George Gilmore could cut everyone off at the knees if he supports the Burlington County Boss backed candidate, Chris Myers. At the BurlcoGOP coup er county committee meeting hastily called at the behest of Boss Glenn Paulsen, who was seeking to regain his power by having puppet and next door neighbor Bill Layton serve as chairman, he showed his cards about where he'd be placing his money... Burlington County Republican boss Glenn Paulsen said Saturday that he is supporting Christopher Myers With Diane Allen out of the race thanks to the civil war that she was having with Paulsen, it looks like Myers will be the clear choice coming out of Burlington County. Camden County will accept whatever candidate the bosses tell them. So now Gilmore has to decide if he wants to stand up for his county or bow to the pressure of State Chair Tom Wilson and the Burlco Boss because Myers wants to go play there too...Myers, who lives in Burlington County and is the presumptive favorite to get that county party's nod for a congressional bid, has sent his resume to Ocean County GOP Chairman George Gilmore and will participate in a candidate screening process this weekend. I won't hold my breath for the Ocean county candidates going through the Burlco screening process because Paulsen has already decided for everyone, but Gilmore seems to have an open mind..."I've said from the beginning that if the three county organizations can get behind one county candidate, that would be great," said Gilmore. So what will Gilmore do? Will he support one of his own, creating what many say will be a bitter primary battle or will he strike a deal allowing Burlington to be the Parent to Ocean's child status once again? Besides, what's the point of letting the voters decide when you can have 2 bosses agree for everyone that will be represented by their choice? You gotta love Jersey.
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Wed Nov 28, 2007 at 01:50:19 PM EST
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Tom Wyka's announcement was picked up in the Political Clippings on CQ Politics...The Newark Star-Ledger reports, "There will be a rematch between Democrat Tom Wyka and Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen in 2008 in the race for Congress in the 11th District. " Wyka, who took only 27 percent 37 percent* of the vote against the GOP incumbent in 2006, "announced his candidacy yesterday via a video on YouTube that included his motto, 'Take Back Your Government,' and a message that proclaimed him as the candidate of the middle class in a district that includes all of Morris and parts of Essex, Somerset, Sussex and Passaic counties." Frelinghuysen, 61, said he would announce his re-election bid "at the appropriate time." As a challenger not in the spotlight of a targeted race, all you can hope is that they mention your name. Not only did he get that, but they gave his slogan, his message contrasting his opponent and gave him credit for using the internet/video to make the announcement. Tom hasn't stopped running for this seat and to help the people since he announced his campaign last cycle and we should all thank him for the work he is doing. Check out his site and if you can, show him some financial love because he's always been supportive of the netroots and Blue Jersey. * Update: Mr. Liberal points out in the comments that Wyka received 37% of the vote in 2006.
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Thu Nov 15, 2007 at 10:06:15 AM EST
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Glenn Paulsen has been busy trying to retain his Boss status in the Burlington County Republican Party and that fight is now front and center with the race for the 3rd Congressional District GOP Primary heating up. Today, he tries to tear down the perceived GOP frontrunner while puffing up his own choice giving us this beautiful spin... On State Senator Diane Allen: "I'm going to look objectively [at] who's the best candidate to win the primary and the general election, and I think there are some liabilities there that she's going to have to overcome," he added. "Her difficulty is that she's pro-choice, pro-same-sex marriage and anti-death penalty. Those are not issues that the national party has supported." On Freeholder Aubrey Fenton: Paulsen touted one possible Burlington County candidate, county Freeholder Aubrey Fenton as a possible contender. He said that Fenton, an African-American, would have "J.C. Watts-like appeal," though it is unclear if he is interested in running. Which one do you think Paulsen is supporting?
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Sun Nov 11, 2007 at 10:54:03 PM EST
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Republican State Senator Diane Allen appears ready to launch a bid for Congress in the 3rd District..."I'm very seriously considering it," Allen told The Associated Press on Sunday. "I'm certainly inclined to do it." Allen says she was contacted by State and National Republican Party members, which I'm sure won't make bosses George Gilmore and Glenn Paulsen very happy. Allen talked about what the bottom line will be for her decision on whether or not to make a run...Allen plans to meet with the National Republican Congressional Committee in Washington this week to discuss financing for the campaign, which could cost $2 million or more. Before she jumps in with both feet, however, the veteran legislator said campaign financing issues must be settled.
"It's a big lift," she said of her probable congressional campaign. "It's going to require millions of dollars. I have to be sure that's obtainable." It's telling that she wants the seat, but before declaring, Allen wants to make sure she won't have to do the heavy lifting to get it. The national party is broke so she may be barking up the wrong tree. The DCCC smells blood with a candidate like State Senator John Adler already declared for the seat and Allen is talking $2 million just for a general challenge. That doesn't take into account the brusing primary it appears she will be facing to get to the general. Stay Tuned.
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Mon Nov 05, 2007 at 12:00:00 AM EST
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( - promoted by noweeman)
Tsunami Tuesday is only three months away. We're less than two months away from the Iowa caucuses. And of course, tomorrow is our state election day.
But first it's another Blue Jersey Presidential Strawpoll. Cast your vote and voice your opinions below the fold.
Also: Will some of these candidates fail to make it on NJ ballots? Discuss.
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Sun Nov 04, 2007 at 08:09:30 PM EST
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One year from right now the polls will close, and we will all be anxiously awaiting to hear who our next President will be.
That means we have three hundred and sixty six days to work our asses off to make sure it's a Democrat.
You can start by volunteering for a campaign over the next couple days, voting early on Tuesday and calling everyone you know to get them out to the polls.
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Tue Oct 23, 2007 at 01:40:05 PM EDT
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Cross Posted at SaxtonWatch With many speculating that Jim Saxton will be facing his toughest and most well-funded challenger in years, one would think that he would be doing everything in his power to raise as much money to defend his seat as possible. While he still has a large amount of Cash On Hand, he hasn't exactly been shaking down the money tree making record deposits in the bank this cycle... | Filing | Raised this Quarter | Raised this Cycle | | Apr-03 | $53,100 | $59,280 | | Apr-05 | $38,265.50 | $44,065.50 | | Apr-07 | $14,896 | $19,174 | | Jul-03 | $122,444 | $181,724 | | Jul-05 | $228,058 | $272,123 | | Jul-07 | $144,568 | $163,742 | | Oct-03 | $190,545 | $372,269 | | Oct-05 | $140,942 | $413,066 | | Oct-07 | $97,085 | $207,857 |
Maybe Saxton thinks he already has enough money in the bank and can just relax. Maybe he doesn't think the challenge and climate he is facing are truly a threat. Possibly, being a member of the minority with that prospect unlikely to change, he doesn't have the influence he once did and isn't the sound investment he once was. Or then again, he might be getting ready to surf the GOP retirement wave. Let's see how other GOP members facing tough re-elections have faired this cycle with their fundraising efforts...| GOP Incumbent | Raised this Quarter | Raised this Cycle | | Mike Ferguson(NJ-7) | $238,362 | $1,046,319 | | Robin Hayes (NC-8) | $353,236 | $851,790 | | Vern Buchanan (Fl-13) | $411,844 | $1,254,533 | | Mark Kirk (Il-10) | $526,065 | $1,789,499 | | Jim Saxton (NJ-3) | $97,085 | $207,857 | | Randy Kuhl (NY-29) | $170,244 | $341,485 | | Jim Gerlach (Pa-6) | $236,936 | $887,496 | | Charlie Dent (PA-15) | $157,000 | $566,886 | | Dave Reichert (WA-8) | $306,234 | $714,034 | | Chris Shays (CT-4) | $360,307 | $850,145 | | Jim Walsh (NY-25) | $194,145 | $621,484 |
So why is Jim Saxton's fundraising down this cycle, given how hard many in a similar situation facing a tough re-election bid are working? Maybe he agrees with us that it's time for a change.
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Fri Oct 05, 2007 at 09:19:54 PM EDT
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How much more out of touch can this guy be. He actually had the nerve when asked why he won't support SCHIP to say...I don't respond to political pressure. I do what I think is right So insuring children is political pressure for him and just not the right thing to do. Could this guy be more out of touch with reality. When is the last time he paid a health insurance bill? Oh, thats right, I help to pay his bill. Saxton also won't be taking a stand in courage for what the majority of the people he represents want to override his fearless leader once again... He said he won't vote to override Bush's veto when the House brings up that issue in two weeks as scheduled. Luckily here in the 3rd District, we have Senator John Adler willing to give the change in representation we deserve here in the 3rd District... Adler said Saxton's SCHIP vote "is just the latest example of his bad decisions (and) epitomizes what is wrong with his allegiance to Bush Republicans." It's time for a change so that Jim Saxton can do what he thinks is right on his own dime without sticking us with the consequences of his flawed decision making.
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Fri Oct 05, 2007 at 03:48:44 PM EDT
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Here we go again. Vote below the fold.
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Mon Oct 01, 2007 at 03:34:48 PM EDT
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Anybody going to the Barack Obama rally tomorrow in Princeton? I'm not attending, but am leaning towards Obama and would be interested to know what kind of support he's getting in New Jersey, given Hillary's dominance in the polls here.
The rally is being held to remind us that five years ago tomorrow, as most of his opponents were preparing to authorize the Iraq war, Obama spoke out publicly against invasion. Sending the message that he made the right call when it mattered most, this is a great vehicle.
And this could be devastatingly effective with Democratic primary voters if he used this moment to ask for public reflection. 'What were we thinking five years ago, America?' For a lot of the people deciding the nominee, their thoughts would look a lot like Obama's.
For me, I remember being in my dorm, watching the President deliver his case against Iraq on t.v. in Cleveland, Ohio. I remember wanting to speak out, believing that the war would do more harm than good. And I remember hearing that the Senate had granted authorization -- delivering a sense of finality over what had been predicted -- and the end of my hope that we would not go to war.
Does it matter now, after all that has happened, whether a candidate was for the war or against the war in October 2002? I'm not sure.
What were you thinking five years ago, Blue Jersey?
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Mon Sep 24, 2007 at 07:31:38 PM EDT
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( - promoted by njdem)
Campaigns and Elections has a good story about the race shaping up in the 3rd Congressional District between Incumbent Jim Saxton and State Senator John Adler and the differing landscape from 17 years ago when Adler last challenged Saxton..."It's getting close to the tipping point in that district," said Monmouth University pollster Patrick Murray. "It has been trending more Democratic for a long time, and apparently [Democrats] think this is the year to flip it." Murray is referring to the fact that at the top of the ticket, Democratic Presidential Candidates have carried the district coupled with the recent Democratic gains on the local and county level in Burlington County. The current political climate would seem to favor Adler with Saxton's unending support for the President's failed policies. The district encompasses parts of Camden, Burlington and Ocean County. For his part, Adler is no stranger to pulling a big upsetAdler has beaten a well-entrenched and popular Republican once before in his political career. In 1991, the year after his congressional loss to Saxton, Adler took on state Sen. Lee Laskin, then a four-term Republican incumbent. Could history repeat itself? Everyone knows that a key factor will be whether Adler has the financial support from the powers that be to sustain a run against Jim Saxton and his defense contributions, but early indications show Adler getting some of the support he will need:House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Charles Rangel is sponsoring a meet and greet on Wednesday evening in Washington for seven Democratic congressional candidates from across the nation, including John Adler. As a constituent in the District, that's something I like to see. I look forward to watching this race develop.
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Wed Sep 05, 2007 at 12:43:05 PM EDT
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(Overnight bump - promoted by JRB)
Happy September 5th! All of the loyal Tsunami Tuesday states are entering the homestretch. There are only five months -- some 153 days -- until New Jersey holds it presidential primary.
Vote below.
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Sun Aug 19, 2007 at 09:05:51 PM EDT
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It's good to see those responsible for our current situtaion being called on their changing rhetoric. Here's a letter to the editor from yesterday's Vineland Daily Journal...There goes Frank LoBiondo again. He says he might think about a change of mind on Iraq ("LoBiondo in a tough spot on Iraq War," DJ-Aug 15).
After four years of incompetent planning, catastrophic execution, prisoner torture, extraordinary rendition, Guantanamo Bay, just to mention a few problems with this war, LoBiondo says he might consider a change of course but will have to give it some thought. This type of dimwittedness neither South Jerseyans nor I can call leadership. Frank, your change of thinking wouldn't have anything to do with your electability, would it?
While you're thinking, maybe you could compose some letters to the parents of those troops who will give their lives to this lost cause while we wait for your epiphany. I only hope other members of Congress that are trying to run away from the mess they have helped to create are called on it. Decisions like this unfortunately seem to have less to do with the loss of American lives, treasure and standing in the world, and more to do with the voters heading to the polls on Election Day.Our friends and family are being used as pawns in a political game while Congressman LoBiondo considers his next move to continue pulling the wool over the voters eyes. Colin Powell said before going in that if you break it, you buy it. LoBiondo bought what the President was selling, but seems to have a case of buyers remorse now that he has to defend his purchase on the campaign trail.
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Sat Aug 18, 2007 at 02:11:58 PM EDT
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This is pure idle speculation for a Saturday afternoon, but i've been reading many of the articles lately talking about the retirement wave that seems to be building among House Republicans...Hastert's announcement - coupled with similar ones Thursday by Ohio Rep. Deborah Pryce and Mississippi Rep. Charles W. "Chip" Pickering Jr. - brought to five the number of House Republicans who are not seeking re-election next year, compared with two on the Democratic side. While nearly 15 months remain until the November 2008 election, the retirement decisions of Hastert, Pryce and Pickering will stoke speculation of a larger "wave" of GOP departures that would seriously hamper the party's quest to make the 16-seat gain that they need to regain the House majority they lost last November. So facing the prospects of at least 2 more years in the minority and possibly some tough re-election challenges, will any of NJ's Republican Congress Members be swept up in the current of the retirement wave?Mike Ferguson was first elected to Congress in 2000. Will he leave office with the President that has led him down this path he has traveled rather than face what looks to be another tough challenge from Linda Stenderwith National Support from the DCCC because they have already identified him as a top 10 target? Will he choose to spend more time with his four young children and make more in the private sector as possibly a lobbyist? While he's not a likely voluntary departure, could you blame him?Jim Saxton was elected to Congress in 1984. He has served for 24 years by the time election day comes around and has not really faced many serious, well funded opponents along the way. The landscape of the 3rd has been changing with Democrats picking up seats in towns across the district and signals have pointed to Senator John Adler mounting a challenge including a radio ad that is currently being run by the DCCC. Will he forgo a serious fight to retain the seat this time around?Frank LoBiondo came to Congress in the Republican wave of 1994. The landscape is much different 14 years later. Now he is acknowledging that he is a target this time around and he will have to defend his role in the Deepwater Disaster. With rumors of a well known candidate such as Jeff Van Drew or Jim Whelan challenging him for the seat, might he return to the family business running the trucking company?Chris Smith will have served for 28 years since his election in 1980 with Ronald Reagan.Scott Garrett has the shortest tenure in Congress for NJ Republicans with 6 years since his election in 2002.Rodney Frelinghuysen has also served in office since his election in '94 with LoBiondo.They have been in congress for an average of 15.5 years each. While I would not say it's likely any of these incumbents wouldn't seek re-election, you could ask yourself if any of them might find better reasons to not take up the fight this time around? The bigger question is what are YOU doing in your area to help make their decision irrelevant? The time to plan for these races is now!
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Mon Aug 06, 2007 at 11:13:19 AM EDT
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(Is this thing on? - promoted by Jay Lassiter)
Less than six months 'til the real thing. Vote below.
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Sun Jul 15, 2007 at 10:24:13 AM EDT
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When his campaign was doing well, John McCain's age and physical fitness were under scrutiny. Now that it's his organization and not his health that's failing him, this criticism may be further from his mind.
Case in point: his answer to a predictable 'under what circumstances would you drop out' question at his Thursday press conference. Contracting a fatal disease. Yes, but when voters may already be wary of your advancing years, the last image you want to put in their minds is you with a terminal illness.
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Sat Jul 07, 2007 at 12:57:43 AM EDT
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Foreign policy wonk and The Washington Note publisher Steve Clemons has some stern words for Hillary Clinton over "her support of a backwards, counterproductive embargo against Cuba," saying it is "the price" of Senator Menendez's endorsement. Here's part of it:Why isn't Hillary blowing that policy out of the water?! Tell me, please, that Senator Robert Menendez is not asking for the perpetuation of what is really an anti-Cuban-American policy that perpetuates the interestes of Venezuela, China, Israel, Europe, and just about everyone else but us in Cuba. What do you think?
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Fri Jul 06, 2007 at 10:32:04 PM EDT
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