As the GOP machine lines up behind Jon Runyan and he prepares to launch his campaign this week, Justin Murphy isn't ready to give him the primary victory just yet:
"If Jon prevails, I would be happy to support him in the general election (against incumbent U.S. Rep. John Adler), but while he's been a registered Republican for three months, I've been a registered Republican for 30 years," Murphy adds. "We need more substance."
With some of Runyan's positions, it will be interesting to see what the Tea Party does and if they get behind Murphy's effort. Up until now, the GOP has been able to avoid the brutal primary that plagued them last time around.
"Rather than divide our party in an expensive primary, I have decided to withdraw my name for consideration and throw my support to Jon Runyan," Hill said in the statement. "Jon has the financial ability to match Adler's fundraising abilities as well as considerable name recognition from his professional career."
So he's got money and people know his name cause he was a football player. Sounds enthusiastic. But that reaction was a ringing endorsement compared to what he got from GOP Boss George Gilmore:
Gilmore said NFL player and former Philadelphia Eagle Jon Runyan of Mount Laurel "would have to be considered the front-runner" for the nomination.
Wow, talk about some excitement coming from Gilmore. He might as well have gone with the, he's the last guy who wants it endorsement. You wonder what they'd be saying about the guy if he wasn't willing to self fund. Runyan is going to need a more enthusiastic Gilmore to help raise his name ID in Ocean County.
It is however pretty significant that Runyan won't have to face a primary with a candidate back by the party organization. Chris Myers only lost by a 52-48 margin and there was a bitter primary leading up to it. Runyan can consolidate the party now and raise money for what will be a well funded opponent in Adler. Not everyone is ready to clear the field as Joe Rullo says he still considers himself the front runner in Ocean County and he's running regardless. Justin Murphy has also said he is running out of Burlington County. They are getting a late jump on things as Adler announced his campaign in September '07 for a November '08, while Runyan is getting started in March '10 for a race just 8 months later. This is shaping up to be very competitive fight for the seat.
The jokes just write themselves with this one as Congressional candidate to be Jon Runyan is also a farmer apparently:
Former Philadelphia Eagle Jon Runyan is getting a break on his property taxes for his lavish Mount Laurel homestead - thanks in part to his four donkeys.
Runyan, a Republican candidate for the U.S. House, paid $57,000 in taxes last year on five of his acres, which contain his home.
But on most of his property - 20 acres - he paid $468 in taxes, according to township records.
On his application for a farmland assessment in July, Runyan said he uses five acres as grazing land for his donkeys and 15 for timber, harvesting seven cords of firewood that he sold for $810.
You may remember the farmland assessment issue rearing its head in such races as Ellen Karcher v. Jen Beck and most recently Scott Garrett v. Dennis Shulman. As Babs pointed out in this Ken Bank diary, the GOP was relentless against Karcher on the issue. Up until recently Runyan wasn't fulfilling his dream of raising donkeys, but was motivated by the potential of losing that tax break:
Runyan didn't always have the four donkeys. Last January, the township assessor wrote to Runyan that one donkey wasn't enough to justify the tax break.
"Although your application was approved for 2009, this acreage will not qualify in the future if you do not have enough animals to justify the five acres," the letter said.
A year later, Runyan reported having four donkeys grazing on five acres, and kept his tax break.
Russell said Runyan had long planned to breed the donkeys but wasn't ready to do that just yet.
I guess the potential increase in taxes provided the motivation to finally fulfill those plans. At 1.25 acres per donkey, they have more land than most NJ residents. I wonder what the big elephant in Ocean County George Gilmore thought over his morning coffee learning about Runyan and his affinity for donkeys.
As things shape up for a packed primary, everyone is jockeying to show their influence and now the Camden County Republicans are feeling their oats:
The truce between Ocean County chairman George Gilmore and Burlington County chairman William Layton seemed headed south in December, when Layton reiterated his support for NFL player Jon Runyan's candidacy. But the three chairmen, along with state party head Jay Webber, sat down shortly before the New Year in an attempt to calm the storm.
The plan, Camden County chairman Rick DeMichele said in an interview on Wednesday, involves Camden County Republicans holding off on an endorsement until the Ocean and Burlington parties name their pick.
"I discussed with them my desire to be the last county party to endorse," DeMichele said. "If they can't come to a consensus, then wherever Camden goes gives that candidate a clear advantage."
So his 15% will decide he says, while 42% of the district is in Burlington County and 43% in Ocean. And about that double secret meeting:
None of the chairmen would divulge details of what was said in their meeting, however. Asked if his organization would switch its endorsement if Camden and Burlington went the other way, Gilmore would not commit.
"We'll cross all those bridges when we come to them," he said.
Oh boy do I hope they cross that bridge. This is starting to be some real fun. Camden County has never felt the power to really play and even if they don't have it, I'm enjoying them trying to flex their muscles. If the party chair power struggle wasn't enough, enter new candidate to the field Joe Rullo:
While Runyan and the party chairs grab local headlines, one prospective candidate is sitting in frustration. Joseph R. Rullo isn't persuaded by assurances that all potential challengers will get a fair hearing. He's already up with a campaign Web site -- rullo4congress2010.com -- and has announced a Feb. 18 fundraiser.
"He's counted me out," said Rullo, a 40-year-old solar energy consultant. "It hurt my feelings."
Hurt feelings? Uh ok. This is politics and bare knuckle with who he's playing. He needs to get a thicker skin if he's upset that they don't want him to take their power. Layton for his part could care less what anyone else says. He's had enough Runyan Kool Aid to last the cycle:
"The excitement is overwhelming, quite frankly," Layton said, describing voter reaction to Runyan's candidacy.
Layton is like one of those pull string dolls. Pull string... Jon Runyan is the greatest. Pull string... Jon Runyan is exciting. Pull string... Everyone loves Jon Runyan.
My guess, George Gilmore is not amused and that must've been a fun meeting in December when they all sat down to make public peace in private.
If you thought things were shaping up to be fun in the 3rd Congressional District GOP pending primary, they just got a little more crowded yesterday according to the Atlantic City Press:
A former Democratic freeholder candidate and recent Republican campaign organizer is adding his name to the growing list of Republicans running for the party's nomination in the 3rd Congressional District race.
Joseph Rullo, 40, of Toms River, said he is going through the process to be endorsed by the Ocean County Republican Organization, but said he would still run in the primary even if not backed by the party.
Rullo owns Today's Solar Energy in Toms River and worked on Ocean County Freeholder Jack Kelly's 2008 primary campaign for congress. He has already opened a campaign headquarters, filed with the Federal Election Commission, and started a Web site that has, along with his bio and campaign platforms, pictures of his two cats.
Of course this news was not welcome to Bill Layton, the chairman in Burlington County and head cheerleader for Jon Runyan:
Burlington County Republican Chairman William Layton said he had not heard of Rullo or his candidacy until contacted Monday by The Press of Atlantic City.
Layton said he wished Rullo luck, but thought the keys to winning the upcoming election would be name recognition, fundraising ability and a personal story to contrast with Democratic Rep. John Adler.
Translation: If you're not Jon Runyan and you're not bringing a bank, you need not apply. And while George Gilmore got notice of Rullo's effort, it seems he was caught off guard by the stance the candidate has already taken on his run:
Ocean County Republican Chairman George Gilmore said Rullo had reached out to him saying Rullo was interested in running but not that he would be running in the primary regardless of the county's selection process results.
Gilmore said county organizations are put in place for the purpose of deciding what is best for the party as a whole, and that a contested primary would only weaken its chances in the general election.
"If we get in a primary fight, regardless of where candidates are coming from, it's not a good thing for keeping the unity of the party and focusing our attention on Mr. Adler and his record," he said.
Translation: I want to pick my own candidate through my organization and if you don't listen choosing to run anyway, it screws us all. This one is shaping up to be good. So far candidates saying they plan to run include Rullo, Jon Runyan, Mo Hill and Justin Murphy. Who else wants to join the party?
George Gilmore's first choice to challenge Jon Runyan in a primary and John Adler in the general is out, according to a statement he released yesterday:
"The support and encouragement that I have received from friends, constituents and political leaders has been extremely flattering and very much appreciated; however, I must convey in the most definite terms, that I am not a candidate for Congress, nor will I seek my party's nomination for that office," Connors said in a press release.
That doesn't mean the GOP is avoiding a primary though as Mo Hill, the Councilman from Toms River in Ocean County, Jon Runyan with the full support of Burlington County and Justin Murphy all have said they intend to run. The name of former lottery director Virginia Haines has also been mentioned as potentially having interest in the seat.
The Asbury Park Press is hoping for a GOP primary in the 3rd Congrssional District because like we've said before, it would be a reporters dream. It seems like they're trying to give a guide for how the GOP can beat Adler and they start with a competitive primary. But should Runyan be the candidate to challenge Adler for the seat, the APP offers this take:
In an arm-wrestling match against Adler - who is about half his size - he would do well. In debates with Adler, he could get sliced and diced.
I worry when expectations are set that low for anyone. I also don't know how much debates really matter. Before anyone get to any slicing and dicing, they need to get George Gilmore to sign off on a candidacy. The overall premise of their post is that an open primary would be better without the choosing of Gilmore and Layton. I'm guess they're just saying that and know there isn't a chance that would actually happen. That's like asking Kobayashi to stop eating hot dogs.
Runyan, meanwhile, says he'll ramp up his campaign efforts after the Chargers' season is done. He said he hopes he can concentrate on football until the Super Bowl in February.
He said he has learned already that pro sports and politics have one big thing in common: "Dealing with the scrutiny of everybody watching your every move all the time."
I'm sure there are plenty more similarities we could find if we looked hard enough. He may be surprised to know that they go to take you out at the knees in politics too.
There is a post on PolitickerNJ which reports that Justin Murphy, a former committeeman from Tabernacle Township in Burlington County who had a surprisingly strong showing in the 2008 primary, says he will definitely run again. And he's not cowed by Jon Runyan, the football star who the Burlington County GOP has recruited and already rolled out to seek the party nod to challenge U.S. Rep. John Adler (D-Cherry Hill).
"Two words come to mind: Lynn Swann," said Murphy, referring to the football hall-of-famer who ran as a Republican against Democrat Ed Rendell in the 2006 Pennsylvania governor's race. He wound up losing by 20 points.
"He was a good looking candidate, gave a good first impression, had some money, but was a disaster. That was an embarrassing double digit loss for the Republicans," said Murphy.
"If the scenario unfolds where Jon Runyan faces Justin Murphy for the nomination, I can guarantee you I will be the nominee," said Murphy. "I'm not trying to be a trash talker on that. I can tell you why in one word: abortion. If there is a choice between one pro-choice candidate and one pro-life candidate in this election, the base of the party will support me."
Complicating the issue are two factors, Ocean County Chairman George Gilmore and a group of insurgents who call themselves Traditional Republicans of Ocean County (TROOC). Gilmore, whose machine gave Chris Christie a 70,000 vote margin, hasn't decided yet if he will back Runyan or put up his own candidate. The unreconstructed Reaganistas over at TROOC came close to knocking off the machine candidates in the primary two years ago with Justin Murphy on their ballot line getting 30% of the vote in Ocean County.
Obviously Adler benefits from all this bloodletting, especially if it becomes a competitive three-way race like two years ago and with the Taliban wing of the GOP pitted against against the RINO establishment.
It's amazing to watch the Republicans twist and turn sometimes in order to get around the stands they take on issues. For the Burlington County GOP, it appears that abortion is only a litmus test when the candidate doesn't have alot of money:
In case Ocean County does not field a candidate and Runyan becomes the establishment-backed favorite, Murphy thinks being pro-choice will bring the former Eagles tackle down.
"If the scenario unfolds where Jon Runyan faces Justin Murphy for the nomination, I can guarantee you I will be the nominee," said Murphy. "I'm not trying to be a trash talker on that. I can tell you why in one word: abortion. If there is a choice between one pro-choice candidate and one pro-life candidate in this election, the base of the party will support me."
Burlington County GOP Chairman Bill Layton argued that the abortion issue won't be a deal breaker with Republican primary voters.
The conservatives aren't going to like that answer. We're going to have to remember that abortion isn't a deal breaker on the right the next time they bring back the litmus test when the candidate isn't bringing a brinks truck to the campaign. They'll use life to incite and then try to selectively claim it's a non issue when the candidate can pay for a few extra mailers. Those are some principles. Somewhere George Gilmore is throwing things right now as he continues to hear Layton make declarations about what the party does and doesn't need.
It's becoming clearer by the day that Burlington County GOP chairman Bill Layton and his boss Glenn Paulsen don't really care where Jon Runyan stands on the issues, they're just seeing dollar signs:
"Adler's been raising money for a year. That's why Jon Runyan is a game changer for us. He has the ability to raise just as much money as John Adler," Layton said. "I clearly think that out of all the candidates, Jon Runyan is our best chance to take back the 3rd District."
You see it doesn't matter where Runyan stands on anything as long as he has the money to get the GOP back the power they had and lost. While Layton is clearly looking for a handout, George Gilmore doesn't seem intimidated by the fundraising challenge that Adler presents without a self funding candidate. This is going to be a reporters dream with Layton and Gilmore not wanting the other to get the last word. I'm amazed someone higher up in the Republican party hasn't stepped up to tell them keep their fights outside of the media. It really seems like the up front aggressive approach taken by Layton and Runyan is making Gilmore want to fight more, just out of protecting his reputation. Not that I mind. Let them spend all their money fighting about money.
Ocean County GOP Chair George Gilmore must be getting madder with each passing moment. I wrote about the pending civil war that is ready to break out over who will challenge John Adler the other day. Burlington County GOP Chair Bill Layton just can't help himself and when it's not Jon Runyan talking directly, Layton is making sure no story goes without a quote:
Layton, for his part, acknowledged that he supports Jon Runyan, but said there remains plenty of time to avoid a primary.
"To me it remains the same. Jon Runyan is the best candidate. So at some point we need to convince others of that, and that process is still taking place," he said. "If Jon Runyan was an Ocean County guy, I'd be with Jon Runyan. Jon Runyan is the best candidate for the race. It's about winning back the seat, not whether the guy is from Burlington, Ocean or Camden."
Gilmore said that he did not read any of Runyan's interviews and would wait until he has to comment.
Oh to be a fly on the wall when Gilmore finally reads the interviews. This has the real potential to be a fun one to watch. It sounds like Layton is telling Gilmore that there is plenty of time to avoid a primary as long as he agrees Runyan is the man. I don't think George Gilmore is used to that type of ultimatum.
"I'm definitely 100 percent in this race," the Mount Laurel resident said from San Diego, where he plays for the NFL's Chargers.
That approach and attitude s making Ocean County GOP Boss George Gilmore none to pleased:
"If he wants to announce that he's running and is the candidate no matter what then he is sadly mistaken," said George Gilmore, chairman of the Ocean County Republican Organization. "I expressed the fact that we were all going to try to take a deep breath and allow time to pass and try to reach a consensus on a candidate. To the extent that anyone disrupts that, I'm disappointed."
He continued to express his displeasure about Runyan's approach:
"There are three counties which award the line for the primary, and I would expect that anyone seeking to run to achieve a nomination from all three counties would be doing so in a manner that would try to bring all three counties together. So I'm a little disheartened about his comments," Gilmore said.
And there are signals that Gilmore may stilll have a candidate of his own in mind even though Senator Connors has said he does not plan to run:
While Gilmore is unhappy that Runyan is making the media rounds before getting the county chairs' nod, Toms River Councilman Maurice "Mo" Hill has been vocal about his intent to run.
"If it comes down to a primary and I'm supported by two of the county chairmen, that's something to be determined," he said of the prospect of an intraparty battle. "Having the support of two out of three counties is a different ballgame than one out of three."
"Anyone who underestimates Mo Hill and his abilities is making a major mistake," Gilmore said. "He presents himself very well, he knows the issues inside and out, and his military background is a plus. There's a very large veterans population in Ocean County."
And then there was this exchange from the county chairs, which unfortunately was buried deep at the end of the online article on page 5:
"I think Jon Runyan's getting poor political advice about how to get the counties' support," said Gilmore, in a clear shot across the bow at Layton and Russell.
"We thought it was important for the public to hear from Jon directly," said Russell, who also managed Chris Myers' campaign. "I don't see anything wrong about him communicating to the public how he feels about the issues, like heatlh care and taxes."
"I had thought we were all going to work together to achieve common ground. Apparently there are some people who feel it's either their candidate or no candidate," Gilmore fumed. "Though I don't want a primary, I'm not afraid of a primary."
Don't forget Justin Murphy who also ran in 2008 out of Burlington County. Primaries are not always a bad thing, but this doesn't seem to be about the issues. We don't even know where Runyan stands on many of the issues. This seems to be about who has the power for the Republicans. If this keeps going in the direction it's moving, you can just get your popcorn ready for NJ3 GOP primary part 2 - the fight to make 08 look like a tea party.
State Sen. Christopher Connors (R-Lacey) is expected to announce -- possibly as early as next week -- that he will not seek the Republican nomination for Congress in District 3. Connors was the first choice of Ocean County GOP Chairman George Gilmore, but has never seemed excited about the prospect of going to Washington. That might leave retired U.S. Navy Rear Admiral Maurice "Mo" Hill, a Toms River Ward Councilman, as the Ocean County Republican organization candidate, unless Gilmore decides to go with ex-NFL player Jon Runyan.
"Yup, as soon as this season is over. Hopefully, it's a little bit later than sooner,'' Runyan quipped in a telephone interview from the hometown of his newly adopted NFL team. Later than sooner, because Runyan hopes to get another crack at a Super Bowl ring this winter.
But come February, "I intend to retire from football and enter the Congressional race,'' Runyan said.
As for whether he intends to finance his own campaign, "That's something I have to sit down and discuss with my wife,'' Runyan explained. "I haven't really got there, I know it's going to take some amount of money. ... To win the race, it's going to cost multiple millions of dollars.''
When Runyan first arrived in San Diego after being signed, he said he was just exploring his options and that he "hadn't fully committed to that yet." Whether or not he decides to self finance could play a big factor in if he gets the support of George Gilmore in Ocean County or if we see a primary for the seat. And then Republicans will still have to see where he stands on the issues too.
Toms River Township Councilman Maurice "Mo" Hill, a retired Navy rear admiral and dentist, said he will run for Congress even if party leaders from the district's three counties - Ocean, Burlington and Camden - are not unified.
"If I got the support of the Ocean County organization, then yes, I would move forward," Hill said Friday.
Hill has already met with the chairmen in Burlington, Camden and Ocean Counties as has Runyan. While Republicans have said they want to avoid a primary this time around, Hill says if he gets the support of one county party he will run. For his part, Ocean County GOP boss George Gilmore has his own list of potentials:
Gilmore has his own short list of candidates, including state Sen. Christopher Connors (R-Lacey Twp), Toms River Councilman Moe Hill and former State Lottery Commissioner Virginia "Ginny Haines." Gilmore said there are also a couple other potential candidates who do not want their names floated publicly yet.
"I'm not simply going to say 'Oh yes, Jon Runyan is our guy.' There are a lot of good people out there, including Moe Hill, Chris Connors and Ginny Haines. It doesn't matter how many statements Jon Runyan puts out, it's going to be the same answer: we have a process and we're going to go through it."
We'll see whether the GOP is able to avoid a competitive primary this time around like they were unable to do in their last shot at the seat.
Chris Christie announced his transition team yesterday and while there are many very qualified people that will be leading the effort, one person stuck out like a sore thumb:
Former Attorney General David Samson had previously been designated as chairman of the transition panel.
The transition team includes: State Sens. Joseph Kyrillos (R-Middletown) and Sandra Bolden Cunningham (D-Jersey City), Ocean County GOP Chairman George Gilmore, Christie campaign strategist Michael DuHaime, Woodbridge Mayor and former State Treasurer John McCormac, Montclair State University President Susan Cole, Southern New Jersey Chamber of Commerce President Debra DiLorenzo, former New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority Chairman Jon Hanson, and former PSE&G President Alfred Koeppe,
GOP Chairman George Gilmore? Just imagine what the reaction would have been in 2005 from these same Republicans if the shoe were on the other foot and Jon Corzine put Joe Ferriero on his transition team.
Former Attorney General David Samson had previously been designated as chairman of the transition panel.
The transition team includes: State Sens. Joseph Kyrillos (R-Middletown) and Sandra Bolden Cunningham (D-Jersey City), Ocean County GOP Chairman George Gilmore, Christie campaign strategist Michael DuHaime, Woodbridge Mayor and former State Treasurer John McCormac, Montclair State University President Susan Cole, Southern New Jersey Chamber of Commerce President Debra DiLorenzo, former New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority Chairman Jon Hanson, and former PSE&G President Alfred Koeppe,
Christie also said he talked with Corzine about providing money from a discretionary fund for the gubernatorial transition after it was discovered that the Legislature had not appropriated any money for that purpose in the current budget.
The News 12 story says that Christie and Corzine are scheduled to meet tomorrow.
The 3rd district Republican Primary was a bitter contest between Chris Myers and Jack Kelly. Despite published reports that the anger lingers, the Myers campaign has attempted to spin us in circles trying to convince everyone that the GOP is now a big happy happy family once again.
No matter what Chris Myers and his campaign would like to tell you about how everyone knows the candidate and loves him, it appears that the residents of Ocean County are still not investing in his efforts to represent them:
Although Ocean County Republican officials say they are helping Myers, evidence has yet to show up where it now counts the most - in the war chest. Since the primary, Myers has gotten only one contribution from an Ocean County resident.
That's right, Chris Myers has scraped together just one contribution from the county where he placed third in his own party's primary. As someone who would love to see a Congressman John Adler, I can only say keep up the good work boys and keep telling yourself that everything is great.
Things have gotten pretty ugly in the 3rd District GOP primary this last week. Jack Kelly went up on TV with an ad that really has gotten the attention of his opponent Chris Myers...
Myers for his part has gone after Kelly as a political hack who's used government to serve himself, but those accusations aren't what has Kelly so mad...
Kelly, for his part, said Myers crossed the line with a mailer about him that features a pig wearing a crown.
I haven't seen the mailer because I'm not exactly the voter Myers is trying to reach, but I'll take Kelly's word for it. I guess we all have our limits.
My favorite is the 3rd candidate in the race, Justin Murphy who sums up the Myers and Kelly campaigns with this great line in his press release, Another Corruption Eruption From the boss controlled candidates for the 3rd District Congressional Seat...
...Murphy says Ocean County voters "should know that a vote for Jack Kelly or Chris Myers is a vote to validate the corrupt power of County Bosses in both Burlington and Ocean Counties."
While I've had enough of some primary campaigns, this one is the gift that keeps on giving. This GOP primary continues to get uglier and John Adler gets to raise money while building an organization and enjoying the show. He probably can't ask for much more.
