Monmouth Dems still looking to fill their dance card
Their nominating convention is on Saturday, but the Monmouth County Democrats are still searching for candidates to run for the legislature and sheriff. Today’s “soft deadline” for candidates to come forward could be extended beyond the convention. Chairman Vin Gopal’s quest to be the first county party to officially annoint Senator Barbara Buono with the gubernatorial nomination will end up being a self-inflicted wound if he doesn’t have a full slate to announce on Saturday afternoon.
With the official deadline for candidates to file their petitions not until April 1 and with Buono the only serious candidate for governor (there are two other announced candidates, former Glen Ridge Governor Carl Bergmanson and union carpenter Willie Araujo of Edison), Gopal’s decision to hold his convention a month earlier than normal looks silly.
According to our source who doesn’t want to be known for talking to a Republican blogger, Holmdel attorney Lawrence Luttrell will join Spring Lake businessman Brian Froelich on the Democratic ticket for freeholder. Luttrell ran unsuccessfully for township committee in Holmdel last year. Froelich ran against Congressman Chris Smith in the 4th district. Froelich and Luttrell will face off against Freeholder Director Tom Arnone and Deputy Director Serena DiMaso.
In the 13th legislative district, Sean Dunne will challenge Joe Kyrillos for Senate (assuming Kyrillos runs…he hasn’t announced yet). Dunne grew up in Holmdel and moved to Ireland for 10 years before moving back and running for Assembly as an Independent in 2009. The Dems are still looking for candidates to take on Amy Handlin and Declan O’Scanlon for the Assembly seats.
In the 11th legislative district, as previously reported, there will be contested convention races to take on Republican incumbents Mary Pat Angelini and Caroline Casagrande for Assembly. No one wants to run against Senator Jennifer Beck, but Gopal will convince one of the Assembly also rans to take one for the team. Npetune Township Committee Members Dr. Michael Brantly and Kevin McMillion will compete with Red Bank Councilman Ed Zipprich and Long Branch teachers union leader Will Potter for the Democrat Assembly nominations.
In the 30th district, Dr. William Field, Phd will run against Senator Robert Singer. Field ran for mayor of Howell last year. So far no one is challenging Dave Rible or Sean Kean for Assembly in the 30th.
The Monmouth Dems will leave the 12th district nominations to compete with Senator Sam Thompson and Assemblymen Ronald Dancer and Rob Clifton up to the Burlington, Middlesex and Ocean county organizations.
More from my site
Democrats Lining Up To Challenge Angelini and Casagrande
Zipprich and McMillian To Challenge Angelini and Casagrande in LD 11
Winners and Losers of 2013, Part One
Gopal: Bergmanson and Araujo Did Not Apply
Will Buono Get On The Ballot?
Monmouth GOP Honors Claire French
Democratic Freeholder Candidates Slam Lucas Farm Deal
Insiders: Monmouth Dems will only compete in LD 11 this year
2017 Predictions
Zipprich Has More Campaign Cash Than Angelini and Casagrande Combined
are the “golden mayors,” Doherty from Belmar and Hornik from Marlboro? Keep hearing how they are gonna run and win big for whatever they want. Looking like they are saving themselves for the next Presidential, the only years they now seem to do well, in our county.
[…] By Art Gallagher | MoreMonmouthMusings.com […]
The reason nobody wants to run is because the democrats are afraid of joe rude rullo.
Come on Art. We know that when all else fails the Monmouth Dems can strike up the perennial losers list and dig one up:
Jim “Never been within 20%” Grenefage?
Linda “support the LBGTMNOP” Baum?
Pat “the original video camera” Walsh?
Alex “the Route 35 sprinter” Desevo?
All of the above have run and ran unsuccessfully a combined 39 times. If we include the Hazlet bunch, it would be 0-65.
Honestly, Art. I read this blog almost every day and you keep referring to this “Vin Go Pal” what is it? Some sort of PayPal app?
Who is vin gopal? He is the former bag man for convicted felon Joe Vas.
I think it’s funny that last year Vinny the Chin was all “we are going to win local elections” and blew off county wide seats. What’s his excuse gonna be this year? Such a loser.
all u people speak out of anger.vin has the democratic party moving forwards and will have great candidates under his lerdership.so all you right wing tea r party deal with it.
Maybe hes smart by focusing on local races. Bennett should take note because Democrats won last year in Matawan and a bunch of towns they shouldnt have.
they know they have little money and they are focusing on towns, bennett better be careful while dems are making inroads. If we had Christine in there she would be fighting Vin in every town, John isnt doing that. hes not hands on.
They are smart not to focus on county or leg races
@ Name (Required) Funny how its always the sniveling little cowards that make false attacks against others are always same people that are afraid to attach their names to comments. Go back to the political garbage dump.
You do make an excellent point. Winning local races develops candidates for future up ticket races. Could Vin be a little smarter than we make him out to be? Maybe.
Bennet scares me.
in a good 20 years has raised as much money in such a short time, and won the county so big in a bad Pres . year, as Bennett. Each town’s dynamics is different, and each town can have its own internal problems. The Chair , thanks to Vinny and his lack of experience, money, and yeah, qualified candidates , intends to win big for the whole ticket in Monmouth, and that includes the towns. You can help with time, talent and money, rather than criticize and speculate in the negative, ok?
A delusional person probably annmarie whos on johns staff probably wrote that…won so big? Romney barely won the count 51% and kyrillos barely got 52%, we lost republican seats in hazlet, matawan and across the county
Please john is a joke and christine would have kept her eye on the prize last year and made sure obama was held to 40%
We didnt beat a darn democratic incumbent anywhere in the county last year. Name 1 councilman or mayor we beat? Please
What about any of the Manasquan Democrats? Don’t they win every year? Isn’t one of them connect to Frankie Boy? Perhaps they should run.
delusional Chris- bot. If you can’t see the ongoing self-agenda there,with all the public jobs and salaries she not onky intended to keep, but add to, and now, being in an even bigger, largely Dem firm, you are really need to put your vitriol from the losing way back last June,into doing something positive to make this year’s returns better! Keep up the divisiveness , and it will get worse!
The dems will probably run that same ass they did last time for Sheriff. You remember him? Sage’s buddy, the one that accused all of the officers of being corrupt killers. I really hope they run him again, just to see him get spanked again.
[…] By Art Gallagher | MoreMonmouthMusings.com […]
[…] say that the Monmouth Democrats would nominate a full slate of candidates at their convention on Saturday. He wouldn’t say who the candidates for Sheriff or the legislature would be, beyond what we […]