Conflicting voter turnout reports out of Newark

PolitickerNJ is reporting that voters are coming out strong for Cory Booker in Newark’s North Ward, South Orange and Montclair.

However, a Newark resident who asked not to be named told MMM this morning that he was only the 9th voter in Newark’s East Ward at about 11:30 AM.

“The Cory Booker campaign is lackluster,” the Newark resident said, “no sound trucks, no signs, no door knockers, nothing. It’s weird.”

While all Independent polls tracking the Special Senate election have qualified their reports with the caveat that turnout for an election on the third Wednesday in October is unpredictable, most pollsters tracking have weighted their results with the assumption that urban turnout for Booker would be consistent with the vote that turned out for President Obama last November.

If the early turnout in Newark’s East Ward is indicative of urban turnout throughout the state, Steve Lonegan could be a U.S. Senator tomorrow.

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Lonegan, in Middletown, Tangles With Pix11 Anchor

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West Ward killing marks Newark’s fifth homicide in last 72 hours

West Ward killing marks Newark’s fifth homicide in last 72 hours (via NJ.com)

Tony Kurdzuk/The Star-Ledger NEWARK — A shooting in Newark’s West Ward left one person dead shortly after midnight on Wednesday morning, the fifth person killed during a bloody 72 hours in the state’s largest city. Thomas Fennelly, Essex County’s…

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Seeing Red Over Red-Light Cameras: A New Jersey doctor fights City Hall

By Dr. Michael Ehrenreich, MD

It takes quite a bit to get me outraged. I am a busy dermatologist in  Millburn, NJ, tending to the rashes and wrinkles of my community. I don’t  write Op-Ed pieces or spend my weekends in political protest. When Thomas Jefferson wrote that “a little  rebellion now and then is a good thing,” he was not envisioning  me.

It all started with a traffic ticket, received in the mail, featuring a  series of photographs showing a blue Chevy Traverse running a red light in  Springfield, NJ, along with a link to  a video. Upon review, there is no  doubt that the car is mine, but there is also no doubt that at the time of  the incident I was in my office seeing patients.

I figured that it would be a simple matter to plead Not Guilty. After all, if I was not the driver of the vehicle, then how could I possibly be guilty?  Since the photographs and  video do not identify an individual but only  a vehicle, it seemed impossible that the state could make a case.

In fact, I was stunned to learn that in New Jersey if your car is caught on a traffic camera running a red light that there is so-called strict liability. This means that if it is your car then you are liable, even if you testify that you were not the operator of the vehicle and even if the State cannot prove that you were.

That’s where my outrage kicks in. I am not a lawyer. I am not versed in  constitutional law. But the situation felt wrong. I pleaded Not Guilty—if  the State has a case, I figured, let them make it. I started researching  New Jersey’s red light camera program in preparation for my day in court.  Not surprisingly, I discovered that there’s money at stake. Quite a bit of  it.

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Pallone: End the shutdown so my wife can go back to work

Congressman Frank Pallone held a press conference at the EPA’s Edison Lab on Monday, ostensibly  to highlight how the “Republican” government shutdown is negatively impacted the middle class and is putting the environment at risk.

“It is now day 14 of the reckless Republican government shutdown that was orchestrated by extreme factions of the GOP to drive their agenda and drive us all into a national crisis. Shutting down the government hurts our economy and threatens middle-class jobs as shown right here at the Edison EPA Lab, where 100 furloughed workers have been forced to stop their work on New Jersey’s Superfund sites, among other critical environmental programs”

“I’m outraged that the GOP shutdown is putting the health and safety of New Jerseyans at risk. This is no way to run the government”

Pallone neglected to mention that his wife is the Deputy Associate Administrator of the EPA.

If Steve Lonegan manages to pull off an upset today and defeat Cory Booker in the Special U.S. Senate election to replace the late Frank Lautenberg, Pallone is a very likely candidate to challenge Lonegan for a full senate term next year.

For those moderate Republicans planning to write in someone besides Lonegan or to sit out the election, vote for Lonegan if only to open up the NJ CD 6 Congressional seat next year.

A vote for Lonegan sends Booker to Hollywood, after he finishes his term as Newark’s mayor, and makes Pallone a lobbyist.

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Round 2: Christie-Buono Debate

Governor Chris Christie and his Democratic opponent in the November 5 general election, State Senator Barbara Buono, will face off in their second and final debate tonight from 8PM till 9:30PM.

The debate will be broadcast live from Montclair State University on NJTV and CSpan.

It will be livestreamed via YouTube here.

NJTV’s Mike Schneider will be the moderator.

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Let me be clear, vote on Wednesday, vote on Wednesday, vote on Wednesday

Republicans and moderate-right Independents planning to sit out tomorrow’s election should view this video twice.

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Long Branch Mayor Adam Schneider Endorses Republicans Beck, Angelini and Casagrande

Guv Chris Christie accepting Long Branch Mayor Adam Schneider’s endorsement. Photo by Art Gallagher.

Long Branch Mayor Adam Schneider, a Democrat, today endorsed the all female Republican team of legislators in New Jersey’s 11th district, Senator Jennifer Beck and Assemblywomen Mary Pat Angelini and Caroline Casagrande.

“I have a worked closely with our legislators on a variety of issues,” said Schneider in a statement issued by the Republican legislators, “They always have the best interests of Long Branch in mind and have gone out of their way to help our residents.  Senator Beck, Assemblywoman Angelini and Assemblywoman Casagrande manage to keep partisan politics out of the picture and focus on the issue at hand. I am proud to work with them and offer them my endorsement.”

In addition to endorsing the Republican legislators from his district, Schneider is one of over 50 Democratic elected officials who have endorsed Governor Chris Christie.

“Oh, that was nice of him,” said Red Bank Councilman Ed Zipprich, a Democratic candidate challenging Angelini and Casagrande, when informed of Schneider’s endorsement.

Monmouth County Democratric Chairman Vin Gopal was surprised that Schneider endorse all three Republican women representing the 11th.  “He endorsed all three of them?” Gopal asked twice, “No, I have no comment.”

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Daily Caller Tries To Tilt A Second NJ Senate Election

The conservative website that broke the “news” of Senator Bob Menendez cavorting with underage Dominican prostitutes on the eve of last year’s election between the Democratic U.S Senator and State Senator Joe Kyrillos published a story this morning alleging that Cory Booker does not live in Newark.

Accompanied by a video by Highway 61 Entertainment, a firm that also produced a documentary that makes the case that President Obama’s real father was socialist Franklin Marshal Davis, not Barack Obama, Sr., today’s story alleges that Booker lives in New York and that his Newark properties house the mayor’s security detail from the Newark PD.

Last year’s story about Menendez was widely debunked as poorly sourced, relying on anonymous videos of the Dominican escorts who later recanted.  The story did not get any legs until after the election which was held seven days after Superstorm Sandy hit New Jersey.

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Monmouth Poll: Booker’s Lead Shrinks To 10%

It’s two days before New Jersey elects a U.S. Senator to replace the late Frank Lautenberg in Washington and Newark Mayor Cory Booker’s lead over former Bogota Mayor Steve Lonegan has shrunk to 10%, according to a poll released by Monmouth University this morning.  Democrat Booker led Republican Lonegan by 13% two weeks ago and by 26% in August.

Polling Director Patrick Murray surveyed 1,393 likely voters who have voted in at least two of the last four general elections between Thursday and Saturday of last week.   The poll has a margin of error of +/- 2.6%.

The poll results are weighted with the assumptions that Democrats will be 38% of the turnout, Independents 34% and Republicans 28%. Monmouth expects that women will be 52% of the turnout.  The expected racial demographic of voters is 75% White, 12% Black, 8% Hispanic and 5% Asian/Other.

Democrats favor Booker by a margin of 90%-6%.  Independents favor Lonegan, 48%-43% with 6% undecided.  Republicans favor Lonegan 86%-11%.

55% of respondents said that Booker’s views on issues are generally in line with most of New Jerseyans.  30% said Booker is out of step with most voters and 15% are not sure. 48% said Booker is more interested in being on the national stage than he is in serving the people of New Jersey.  This perception accounts for Booker’s weakened support, according to Murray.

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