Bennett and Golden pledge positive campaign
John Bennett and Shaun Golden kicked off their respective campaigns for the Monmouth GOP Chairmanship last week on a positive note and each man said he wants a positive campaign.
Sheriff Shaun Golden
Golden, the Monmouth County Sheriff, is challenging the incumbent Bennett for the opportunity to lead the Monmouth County Republican Committee for the next two years. The election will take place on June 10 at iPlayAmerica in Freehold.
In a letter to County Committee members Golden said he is running for Chairman because he wants to ensure a bright future for the Party by utilizing a modern and innovative approach while continuing to honor Republican traditions and by reinstating traditional party building efforts.
” Many new residents are not aware of our Party’s achievements, and we need to do more to attract new members to our Republican family. We must reach out to these new residents, our young people, and our seniors, and invite them to become a part of our success. We need to build coalitions that are critical to winning elections in modern times. We have come a long way, but we can and must do better!”
Golden said he will increase communication within the Party and with the general public through the use of social media; facebook, twitter, Youtube and email, and by returning “to the tried and true traditions of door to door campaigns, monthly breakfast meetings, and quarterly meet and greet events. Golden’s letter can be found here.
Golden told MMM that he was committed to expanding the Party to include constituencies and demographic groups that Governor Chris Christie won over in his November landslide victory.
Golden, coming off an overwhelming reelection victory last November, acknowledged that his candidacy is a political risk. He said his passion and commitment to growing the Party and moving it forward is worth the risk.
In an email to the County Committee, Bennett and Vice Chair Susan Cohen emphasized their accomplishments over the last two years and said they unified ” a previously disorganized party.” In a letter to the committee Bennett and Cohen touted their accomplishments:
We have a demonstrated fundraising ability. In the 21 month since taking office, contributions to the party
have increased 52% over what they were in the 21 months prior to us taking office.
Last November, we delivered a resounding 2-1 victory in the countywide races.
On the top of the ticket last year, we gave Governor Christie and Monmouth County’s own Lieutenant Governor
Kim Guadagno an unprecedented 75,000 vote plurality. Only 2 counties in the state delivered more votes, and
only 1 county delivered a bigger plurality of votes.
In 2013, with help from the Republican National Committee, we ran the biggest field program in the history of
Monmouth County Republican politics. Our outstanding, hard-working volunteers made 387,000 phone calls and
knocked on 115,000 doors.
We won the Primary last June when our MCRC candidates were challenged. By running a hard campaign and
raising the necessary funds, we beat our challengers by garnering more than 80% of the vote.
In 2012, despite our Republican strongholds sustaining severe damage from Sandy, our Freeholder candidates
were still able to win by over 12 percentage points.
We have strengthened ties between the county and local campaigns and offered more local political support
Bennett and Cohen’s letter can be found here. (corrected link)
Bennett. a former State Senate President and Acting Governor, told MMM that he wants to serve another term as Chairman because he enjoys it and he’s done a good job. He said he hopes to be the Chair of Chairs, the leader of New Jersey Republican County Chairmen, and that being Chairman keeps him relevant in statewide politics.
More from my site
Manalapan Elected Officials Stand With Bennett
Bennett: McEnery-Graziano Letter Raises Legitimate Issue. Says Golden Went Negative
Bennett’s Undetered By Golden’s Endorsements
Niemann Endorses Bennett, Says “You cannot be a Party Leader and an Elected Official”
Golden: Passion and pride, not personal gain, will grow the Monmouth GOP
Negative Campaigning: The Monmouth County GOP Chair’s race, Part 5
John Kaye: Vin Gopal and the Monmouth Democrats will “beat us over the head” if Golden is Chairman
Golden Cites NJ Court Case Affirming Sheriffs’ Right To Hold Party Office In Rebuke Of McEnery and Graziano- Bennett Doubles Down On Ethics Questions, Challenges Golden To A Debate
Golden Wins!
Very disturbing Shaun. Good guy and good Sherriff. But challenge a sitting chairman that by all accounts has done a good job? Why? And why create all of the inevitable conflicts as a sitting elected official and party boss at the same time? Forget challenging Bennett; this just makes no sense for Shaun and will come back to haunt him. This whole debacle just furthers the fact that the R family simply can’t get it together. Shaun demonstrated an unbelievable betrayal against Bennett. John was a life long supporter of Shaun’s and pushed him for Congress. He also pushed for Shaun for Sheriff when others had a certain female candidate they wanted over him. Now Shaun shows his real colors and reveals he is an opportunist. The problem is we have no sense as to how he’ll do running a political apparatus with just 5 years of political experience. Had he been smart he’d have positioned himself to succeed Bennett in 2 years. Instead he forces yet another ugly intra-party fight, hurting the brand while the D’s stand back and take measure. Sad day.
Everyone who is drawing lines in the sand and saying “Bennett should do this” and “Golden can’t do that” are just being ridiculous. The reality is that it is an open process and if you think you are the best or would do a better job then just go for it.
But let’s remember something here, what was one of the first cracks in the Roman Empire’s foundation…..? It was pride and a neglect to keep issues in house. Just say’n.
-Stay Funky
The posters here and on earlier posts by Art on this subject fail to pick up on and join that “positive pledge.”
Let’s hope that changes.
[…] By Art Gallagher | MoreMonmouthMusings.com […]
Positive campaign … Positively disturbing and unsettling … Positively forcing a division amongst loyal grass root Republicans who work in the trenches … Positively complete disregard for the reputation and stability of the Party (another fight) … Positive complete unrest and constant turmoil … Positively jeopardizes the allegiance and/or fidelity of warranting votes … Positive betrayal of voter support …. Positive selfish message of gimme’ gimme’ gimme’ stepping-stone for power, devotion to a few of the same ilk, forging a complete upheaval of a system that has been working well for Monmouth County Residents. The satisfactory and successful performance of both Bennett and Golden, as is, should remain undisturbed … unconscionable otherwise!
Just saying, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. The Party will be more divided by this contest.
Too late. The race is already underway. It’s happening. Best to move on from denial and forward into action.
With both candidates expressing the desire for a positive campaign, any divisiveness going forward will depend upon the most ardent acolytes reining in their wicked tongues. Good luck with that one.
Any word on who’d be Sheriff Golden’s choice for Vice Chair?
As a capitalist, I believe competition is the only way to make something better. Show me anything in this world that was made better by the absence of competition.
good question: ask him- so far, is evasive.. why would he not reveal his choice,right now? We know former mayor Susan Cohen has been a classy, dedicated, involved, and excellent vice chair for us, these past two years.. Echoing prior thoughts: if it ain’t broke, we don’t need to fix it!
John Bennett didn’t announce his choice for a vice-chair until after he was announced as a winner
Was an open seat election.This is incumbents seeking re- election, with,so far, only one second choice- some people might like to know who both challengers are, before they vote, that’s all.
Speaking of “wicked tongues”,…
Ahh. Welcome to the conversation, “she-who-will-not-be-named”. Was wondering where you scampered off to so quickly. Some people would like to know, ya’ know, before they entertain all those nasty little innuendos you like to post online, that’s all.
Lets go back to the top: (1) do we need a county elected official also acting as the chairman with all the likely conflicts? (2) Shaun has been in elected politics for five years and has no broad based fund raising experience and as an elected person, how will he do it? (3) Shaun says he is from Colts Neck to the elite and from Howell to others – where is he from and why is he embarrassed to be from Howell? (4) who is behind his candidacy? Likely a certain big town that wants all the control. The consolidation of power will hurt all the other towns so why is this helpful? (5) what loyalty does Shaun have if he can so blatantly stab Bennett in the back? How can he be trusted? He is looking to climb the latter no matter what and will step on anyone to get there so every elected official and chairperson needs to know that and (6) he does actually come from Howell (now) and his own town is a total mess. What role did he play or not play in trying to fix the squabble there? We hear he did nothing; that he sat on the side lines and watched rather that getting in the mix. What will he do as Chairman when these brush fires pop up every day? If he does not have the guts to get visibly involved in his own town, how are we to believe he’ll have the spine to do it elsewhere? The Golden boy is not ready for this role and is not deserving. The same way Bobby Walsh tried to elbow his way to a Freeholder seat and knock off Gary Rich, Shaun is looking to do the same. Lets look back and see how well that worked out. Shaun needs to do the right thing and focus on being Sherriff and getting how own house on order (there are problems there that we all know about that he gets slack for. That slack stops soon).
Couldn’t agree with you more Tim. How convenient of Shaun to say he is either from Colts Neck or Howell–depending on the audience of course.
Golden boy will take credit for the sun popping up each and every day. Didn’t he take full credit for not one person perishing during Hurricane Sandy?? Of course he did.
Shaun wants credit for everything; blame for nothing.
Your last sentence in your last paragraph intrigues me. Would this be in referencing to the fraud he committed on the taxpayers of this county? The fraud whereby he conspired with Kim (Guadagno) to bestow employment on one of Kim’s friends by issuing false statements to allow one of Kim’s friends to receive a pension and a county salary?? Would this be the very same fraud that Golden failed or refused to have that “friend”pay back the pension system??? What a friend Shaun is—what an enemy of the people he is turning out to be!!!
Shaun….your already an ethics disgrace as the county’s top law enforcement official. We don’t this amplified two-fold by your attempted “hostile takeover” of John’s county chairmanship.
The last paragraph got all mish-mashed as my hands became angered writing it.
The second sentence should have read: “We don’t need this amplified two-fold by your attempted “HOSTILE TAKEOVER” of John’s county chairmanship.”
Aghhh, now I feel better.
“HOSTILE TAKEOVER”?? It’s an election, people, do you call any election in which the incumbent loses a hostile takeover?? Was it a hostile takeover when the GOP retook control of the Freeholder board in 2009? Or when it took control of Congress in 2010? Was Runyan winning CD-3 a hostile takeover??
You nailed it. It is an election of ideas. Where is it written that good people can not challenge sitting officials on their own perception of how they can do better or how the sitting chair may have failed the party or went back on his word about legal word.
Seriously all, it is just an election of ideas. And yet the haters and mud slinger crowd always shows up on either side.
I for one am happy to see challenges lest we fall into a rural of mediocrity
Sorry that was meant to say ” rut of mediocrity. “
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