Will the Senate Debates Determine the Election?
In a column on RollCall yesterday, Washington pundit Stu Rothenberg chastised conservative websites that are excited about Steve Lonegan’s internal poll numbers suggesting his race to replace the late Senator Frank Lautenberg is in single digits.
“Watch the people who matter, not the folks who don’t,” Rothenberg wrote.
In New Jersey, Patrick Murray matters. The Executive Director of the Monmouth University Polling Institute, Murray told Capitol Quickies’ Bob Jordon that the debates could be decisive.
If Cory Booker tries to give the impression he’s above all this, he might up end up being on the short end of the debate because that would play into the impression that people are starting to get, which is that Booker is not fully engaged in this campaign and that he’s looking ahead to his national career.’’
Lonegan and Booker debate first this afternoon at 1PM at ABC’s Trenton Bureau. The debate will be live streamed here and broadcast on 6ABC (Philadelphia market) on Sunday, October 6 at 9:30 am and on 7ABC in the New York market at 11am. Noticias Univision 41 will air the debate in Spanish on Friday, October 11 at 11pm.
The second and final debate between Booker and Lonegan will be on Wednesday, October 9 at Rowan University in Glassboro.
More from my site
Monmouth Poll Shows Booker’s Weakness
Monmouth Poll: Booker’s Lead Shrinks To 10%
Monmouth Poll: Booker holding a 13 point lead
Booker-Lonegan, Round 2
Booker’s lead “almost insurmountable” in Rutgers-Eagleton poll
Quinnipiac Poll: Lonegan Within 12 Points Of Booker- Booker’s Hecklers Disrupt Lonegan’s Newark Press Conference
What the Eck!
Booker Administration Denies Stonewalling For Cory, Another OPRA Request Apparently Ignored
More Booker Stonewalling
Man, did Booker get his clock cleaned. He looked like a wide-eyed high school debate team novice who pulled out every tired liberal cliche to cover his complete lack of knowledge or ideas. The only thing he won was the most repeated phrase contest by saying “tea party” as if it were the secret phrase to gain entry to the frat house keg party. Steve came across as measured, intelligent, knowledgeable and reasonable. Can’t wait for rounds two and three.
“Man, did Booker get his clock cleaned.”
The only ones who watched the debate were hardcore Loneganistas.
Booker’s voters were busy with their Obamaphones, EBT cards and scoring the latest entitlements from Uncle Sucker. On election day, they will be rounded up by the busload and dropped off at the nearest voting precinct, where they will dutifully cast their ballot for Cory Booker…NJ’s next Senator-For-Life.
I respectfully disagree Joe. If Scott Brown could win in Kennedyland and Christie could win in NJ, then Lonegan, who has done a great job of closing the gap in the polls, could pull it out. Oh yeah, and two more murders in Newark since the first debate. If the welfare crowd doesn’t know there’s an election in 11 days, then Lonegan wins. So far, Booker’s campaign has been remarkably weak and complacent. Not exactly firing up the base.
Turnout is the key. If we can get out in support of Lonegan and Booker”s followers believe he can’t be beat and don’t bother voting in big numbers, Lonegan could pull an upset. Those are very long odds. Steve has run an aggressive campaign. The reality is that his closing the gap has more to do with having nowhere to go but up and that attempts t paint Lonegan as an extremist haven’t worked.
I thought Lonegan did a good job at the debate as he addressed the actual questions more directly than Booker did. But Booker’s quips will work better as sound bytes in campaign ads than Lonegan’s.
See everyone on the 16th!