Rob Andrews declares for Governor

by: Rosi Efthim

Wed Apr 01, 2009 at 11:42:30 AM EDT

From his statement:

I did not intend, or plan, to challenge my Governor in the primary process. I do so with regret, and respect. But New Jersey needs fresh stewardship, and new ideas. I have decided that I will place my name and my credentials before the people of New Jersey to serve as their new Governor. The people of New Jersey deserve to choose their governor. With respect for Governor Corzine and his public service, I will offer them that choice in this historic year of change, of challenge and of opportunity.

The news was a surprise, even for Andrews, who made headlines - and not a few enemies - with an unexpected primary challenge to Senator Frank Lautenberg, just days after promising the entire NJ Democratic delegation that he would not. The acrimonious nature of the race, including repeated references to the incumbent's age (Lautenberg was 84, Andrews 50) forced Democrats to take sides. Most sided with the eventual winner, Lautenberg, but the process may have further alienated South Jersey Democrats from their counterparts further north. It also damaged Andrews' credibility quotient, with wife Camille Andrews accused of merely keeping his seat warm for him in the event of his failure to capture the nomination from Lautenberg. When he lost, badly, to his elder, he did indeed return to that seat he swore he was done with.

Last year's race was largely seen as Andrews' test-run at a real state-wide campaign this year, but after a crushing defeat by a Senator he had made out to be, well, addled and well past his prime, the conventional wisdom was that he'd learned a lesson, and would live to fight another day.

A day perhaps come rather sooner than is convenient for Corzine. It's a bad time to be an incumbent governor with the economy - state and national - in the shape it's in. And that has been reflected in bad polling news for the Governor.

A trio of state Senators introduced Andrews to the group; Ray Lesniak, Joe Vitale and Bob Smith, who were in turn brought to the microphone by Asm John Wisniewski. Newark Democratic powerbroker Steve Adubato was there but did not speak. SJ Democratic Chairs Beach, Angelini and Perr and Norcross were also not called to the microphone. Today's announcement is seen as another sharp challenge to the balance of power by Norcross.

Barbara Buono, who endorsed Andrews last year, was not there. She is rumored to be on Corzine's shortlist for Lieutenant Governor. Democratic heavy-hitters who endorsed Andrews in '08, but were missing from this morning's announcement, included included Majority Leader Steve Sweeney, and Speaker Joe Roberts. Andrews mentioned both in his remarks, expressing deep respect, and that both had been informed late last night of his intentions.

Andrews' track record over the last year is widely seen as hubris, over-reaching and a notable failure of an ascendant South Jersey politician to capture the Senate seat in the name of the power structure in South Jersey. There was considerable resentment inside the Democratic Party, but particularly inside the Democratic Congressional delegation, with Pascrell and Pallone the most vocal.

Andrews briefly flirted last year with the possibility of leaving politics altogether and going to Goldman Sachs which, ironically, Corzine used to run. But now, the loss of support among his House colleagues - not to mention what Lautenberg may think of him - may be a factor in Andrews' choice to switch playing fields entirely, and compete with an incumbent Governor struggling with a national economy in freefall, a mountain of inherited state debt, and a likely challenger, Chris Christie, who fashions himself a heroic corruption-buster.

It's official: Andrews wants his seat back

by: Jason Springer

Thu Sep 04, 2008 at 11:50:43 AM EDT

It was not my intention to answer the call of my neighbors and friends who have indicated they would stand with me if I sought re-election. As a Cornell Law graduate with considerable experience and expertise in law, finance, and pensions, I had several opportunities in the financial world that were very exciting and would have been very different from the world of government.

In the past few weeks, I have reflected on the expressions of support and re-examined the needs, opportunities, values and obligations of my family.  Our family carefully considered the substantial opportunities that the private sector would afford to us.  Together, we also reflected on the meaning and value our commitment to public service. After much deliberation, thought and prayer, I have decided that I will seek re-election to the House this fall.

Andrews re-negs on promise, seeks return to US House

by: Scott Weingart

Wed Sep 03, 2008 at 05:23:06 PM EDT

During the Senate primary campaign, and again a month after he lost the June primary in a landslide to Frank LautenbergRob Andrews, Andrews denied that he would seek re-election to his House seat. The Congressman's wife, Camille, had filed to run for the seat after Andrews announced his Senate candidacy at the last minute, with the intention of dropping out should South Jersey Democratic leaders decide to run another candidate in the general election.

As someone who actually believed Rob Andrews when he said he wasn't planning to use his House seat as a safety net should he lose his Senate primary, let me say this: Shame on you, Rob Andrews, and don't expect my support in a primary should you run for statewide office in 2009, 2012, 2013, 2014 or any other year in the near future.

That said, Andrews will no doubt continue to represent his district well in the Congress after he crushes his whining, far-right Republican opponent Dale Glading in November.

The One Where Huntsu Calls Shenanigans

by: huntsu

Wed Jul 30, 2008 at 03:58:17 PM EDT

We were told that we were wrong, that it was democratic because the voters knew the score and the County Committee members of NJ1 would be selecting the nominee.  We had to "prevent a Civil War," according to Rob Andrews.

Rob Andrews: It's not in the interest of the Democratic Party to have some big civil war over the Congressional seat at a time when we are trying to have a unified effort in the south.  And why her?  I'll tell you why her.  Because she gave her word that she would abide by the county committee process and she'll keep it and not fall in love with the idea that she maybe won the primary and then not get off the ballot

Apparently a primary where people get to vote for candidates who actually intend to run in the general is equivalent to a massive five year bloodbath.

Those of us who continued to protest this massive disenfranchisement were told that we were wrong and just terribly cynical.  

Well, I call shenanigans!

The word among South Jersey Democrats is that Donald Norcross, the brother of one of the state's most powerful political insiders, will replace Rob Andrews in the U.S. House of Representatives.  Sources say that the decision to send Norcross, the South Jersey AFL-CIO President and the Camden County Democratic Co-Chairman, to Congress appears nearly final, but that party leaders have little incentive to call a vote to ratify that choice anytime soon.

George Norcross' brother will be the nominee, and there's no need to call a vote of the County Committee members anytime soon.  This is how they "abide by the county committee process"?  Bypassing the County Committee?

I'm ashamed to be a Democrat right now.

Fixing a Broken Process in the 1st District

by: Martin

Thu Jul 24, 2008 at 11:51:41 AM EDT

Pick Someone Already, Please!

by: huntsu

Fri Jul 18, 2008 at 10:02:03 AM EDT

But Camille's website says:

While working hard on Rob's Senate race, I decided to run for Congress to ensure that New Jersey's First Congressional District continues to be represented by a leader with the integrity and fortitude to honorably serve our nation in these challenging times.

Ummmm, that's not what her husband said.  And the timing is a little off since Rob announced his run for Senate less than two days before Camille's primary paperwork was filed.

Then there's the fact that she has all of $15,000 cash on hand and raised just $72K in the second quarter.  That is not the money a serious candidate raises.

Please, let's stop the charade and hold a the County Committee meeting to select the nominee.  If it's Camille, fine.  But there are too many facts being stretched here, and it's time to end this sad period in our party's history and get on with the general election.

Live By Debates, Die By Debates

by: huntsu

Tue Jun 17, 2008 at 12:24:16 PM EDT

At the time I noted that the debate demands were a normal tactic for a challenger, and that ducking debates was the norm for the frontrunner.  I dismissed the outrage as manufactured and suggested that Lautenberg would accept debates (he did) and that this was really a non-issue.

In response folks continued to slam Lautenberg for being anti-progressive, and my own progressive cred was even questioned.

Now there's this:

Long shot Republican candidate Dale Glading issued a debate challenge to Camille Andrews on June 5th, asking her to respond by Friday, June 13th. But as of yesterday, Glading still hadn't received a reply from Andrews. ...

"It is disappointing to the citizens of our district that Camille Andrews has chosen not to follow in her husband's footsteps in desiring to publicly debate the issues affecting the people of New Jersey," said Glading. "Camille Andrews is hiding from the voters of the 1st District, choosing to spend her time instead in the smoke-filled back rooms of the party machine."

At least Lautenberg's campaign responded by saying, "Rob needs to lighten up.  There'll be debates but on our terms, not his."  We don't even get that much from Camille Andrews' camp.

Andrews campaign manager Benjamin Parvey did not respond to multiple requests for comment.

Why? Because Camille Andrews is not actually a candidate for Congress, and everyone knows it.  Her candidacy is a joke, a sick joke, on the voters of new Jersey's first district.

Look, I'm thrilled that Dana Redd is likely to be the next Representative from NJ1.  She'll be a great Congresswoman and add some gender and racial balance to our state delegation.

But the flim-flam scam Rob Andrews, George Norcross and their team pulled on the voters of NJ1 still stinks to high heaven and it gets worse each day it's allowed to stand.  The way they are handling it now shows that the Rob Andrews campaigns' outrage over debates was as false as Camille Andrews' candidacy.

It's now time to get it over with, immediately.  Camille Andrews needs to reject the nomination given to her by the voters, and the County Committee members in NJ1 need to select their nominee.

It'll still stink, but at least with Dana Redd in there it will accomplish something good.

Who Will Get Andrews' Seat?

by: huntsu

Wed Jun 04, 2008 at 07:46:03 AM EDT

Camile Andrews says she will not accept the nomination she just won, but hasn't given an indication of whether she will see the party support for the nomination she resigned.  I know, weird.

Assemblyman Lou Greenwald says he doesn't want it.

Others mentioned by Andrews in his heartfelt but strange defense of this strange arrangement include:

• Assemblywoman Dana Redd, and African American woman and former Camden Councilwoman.  She's also Vice Chair of the State Dems.  It'd be nice to have two women (Go Linda Stender!  Beat Lance!) represent NJ in the House after such a long, stupid drought.
• Senator Steve Sweeney, a major power in South Jersey and business agent and treasurer for Ironworkers Local 399.  He pissed off a lot of progressives when he called for union givebacks to balance the state budget using anti-worker language and arguments that sounded strange coming from a union leader's mouth;
• Assemblyman John Burzichelli, one of many Assembly Deputy Speakers and a member of the budget committee;
• and Lou Capelli, a Camden County Freeholder I know next to nothing about.

Are there others in the wings?  Mahdi Ibn-Ziyad and John Caramanna just lost to Camille Andrews yesterday, and are not likely to get any support even if they do throw their hats in the ring.

For the next couple weeks this is one of the few things that we'll have to argue over.  Put names and arguments over who is most likely to get the nod, and also who should get the nod.

Undermining the democratic process in NJ-1

by: Juan Melli

Tue May 27, 2008 at 12:31:16 PM EDT

Andrews responded that it's a three step process. The first step is that the voters would choose if they "support a new process or not". That's code for undermining the usual democratic process. If voters choose to do that by voting for his wife, then step 2 is that she steps down and Democratic committee members select the real candidate, and step 3 is the general election in November.

Since the Democratic nominee will almost certainly win in November, in essence, this comes down to whether voters next Tuesday are actually voting to severely limit the pool of voters (to just Democratic committee members) who will choose their next Representative. Andrews didn't singlehandedly create this situation, but he definitely enabled it, and that's very disappointing.

What have they been waiting for?

by: Jason Springer

Fri May 23, 2008 at 02:03:14 PM EDT

We haven't kicked our fundraising operation into gear yet, though we are planning to begin this upcoming week

The NRCC spent $1.27 million, nearly 20 percent of their cash on hand, on last Tuesday's special election in Mississippi's 1st Congressional District, where the Democratic candidate prevailed. The committee has spent more than $3 million, all in losing efforts, in its attempts to hold GOP seats in Illinois, Louisiana and Mississippi.

Where does Camille Andrews stand on the issues?

by: vingopal

Tue May 20, 2008 at 02:04:51 AM EDT

According to her campaign website ( http://www.camilleandrews08.com ) - she's not sure yet.... My post has less to do with Camille Andrews and actually more about Rob Andrews and the process of New Jersey politics with various tangents.

Is Camille Andrews' campaign 404? (Update: no)

by: Juan Melli

Fri May 09, 2008 at 11:31:38 AM EDT

Camille Andrews' congressional campaign website is no longer online (404 Not Found). The website had been up as late as Monday of this week (google cache).

Is it just a temporary glitch or a sign of something more? Anyone know what's going on?

Why Mrs. Andrews?

by: mikeshapiro

Tue Apr 15, 2008 at 08:29:44 PM EDT

Camille Andrews statement on debates

by: Juan Melli

Wed Apr 09, 2008 at 06:54:36 PM EDT

"It would be presumptuous of me to debate the Republican nominee. I am respectfully asking for the voters to support my candidacy for the Democratic nomination. Of course, I will participate in any legitimate debates with candidates in our Democratic primary."

One Andrews wants debates, but does the other?

by: Scott Weingart

Wed Apr 09, 2008 at 01:32:55 PM EDT

Glading's request to debate a Democrat before the primary is ridiculous, considering he has a primary opponent of his own in Ron Paul/Murray Sabrin-supporter Fernando Powers. But what would Camille Andrews say if Mahdi Ibn-Ziyad or either of the other two Democrats that filed in NJ-01 asked her to debate?

Lautenberg campaign: "This doesn't pass the smell test"

by: Juan Melli

Mon Apr 07, 2008 at 05:11:39 PM EDT

This doesn't pass the smell test -- at all.  New Jersey needs a Senator who will fight on behalf of the people of this state everyday -- not someone who plays games with the voters to protect his local political boss, George Norcross.  Like much of the Andrews campaign so far, this latest maneuver demonstrates the old school politics that the voters of New Jersey are sick and tired of.

The last time I checked, Senator Lautenberg was running against Congressman Andrews, not his wife. Its time for the Senator to stop hiding and attacking through his staff and have an open dialogue on the issues. The voters of New Jersey deserve no less.

Change You Can Xerox

by: Thurman Hart

Mon Apr 07, 2008 at 03:19:06 PM EDT

2008 is a year of great change in American politics. Millions of new voters have chosen to enter the political process as a means to make our country better.

As New Jersey elects a United States Senator this year, people from all over the state have expressed the desire to have real choices based on a positive, substantive campaign.

"real choices based on a positive, substantive campaign"  Nice.  So why is Rob Andrews' wife getting the party line to replace him?  Is adding an "s" to the "Mr." part of "Mr. Rob Andrews" substantive?

Of course, maybe she is just a placeholder.  Except that the Star-Ledger article (linked above) states:

Party leaders said Camille Andrews is still trying to determine whether she would run for the House seat in the general election or would serve simply as a "placeholder" who might then drop out after party leaders have more time to choose the right candidate to replace him as congressman.

So maybe I'm a magical white rabbit, too.

It's difficult for me to take Rob Andrews serious when this sort of thing goes on.  If two months is plenty of time for him to introduce himself to all of New Jersey and take down a sitting Senator that has done all that has ever been asked of him, then why is that timeframe insufficient for the people of a single Congressional district to have an open and fair primary as well?  If this is about change; then how is giving that seat to the incumbent's wife, "key adviser and strategist"?

I'd like to note: I have no problem with Camille Andrews.  In fact, before an hour ago, I'd never heard of her.  If a free and fair primary is held and she wins, I'd be more than happy to see her take that seat.  But this isn't democracy.  It's a sham.  Mr. Andrews says that "New Jersey deserves to choose their Senator."  It's a pity he so obviously doesn't feel the same way about his own Congressional district.

Camille Andrews in NJ-1

by: Juan Melli

Sun Apr 06, 2008 at 05:56:25 PM EDT