Scott Brown Hosting Christie Fundraiser

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Former Massachusetts U.S. Senator Scott Brown is hosting a fundraiser on Friday night in Boston for Governor Chris Chrisite’s reelection campaign, according to the Associated Press.

Brown was a model while in law school.  During his reelection campaign, which he lost to Elizabeth Warren, Warren noted that she kept her clothes on while financing her college education. Scott retorted, “Thank God.”

We’re similarly grateful that Christie kept his clothes on while working his way through school.

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CPAC Snubs Are Bad Policy

Gov. Christie & Gay Conservatives Should Be Allowed to Plead Their Cases at Annual Conservative Conference

By Matt Ronney, Save Jersey

Back in 2004, Save Jerseyans, your Blogger-in-Chief was an undergraduate at Washington, D.C.’s Catholic University of America when a couple other friends and I interned at the annual Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC).

It was an amazing experience for a wide-eyed young conservative nerd to interact with so many distinguished politicians, media personalities and career activists in one place.

It was also a very different time in the Republican Party, and I discovered a healthy level of intellectual diversity on display from the right-of-center CPAC attendees. Libertarians, neocons, paleocons, fiscal conservatives and social conservatives from across the country mixed, drank, shared  cabs, and downed hot dogs while discussing equally hot races in long book signing queques.

The common thread among the CPAC patrons? A healthy disdain for large, active, expensive and intrusive federal governance.

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Democratic Gubernatorial Candidate Calls for Gopal’s Resignation

Democratic Gubernatorial candidate Willie Araujo.

Shut out of the Monmouth County Democratic nominating convention, gubernatorial candidate Willie Araujo disputed Chairman Vin Gopal’s assertion that his nominating process is transparent.  Araujo said Gopal should resign immediately.

Araujo said he called Gopal multiple times about his candidacy and never heard back from the chairman. Gopal said that the Monmouth Democrats had a post on facebook on February 3 asking potential candidates for governor to submit their paperwork by February 9.  Only State Senator Barbara Buono responded to the facebook post.  Buono appeared at the convention is Asbury Park this morning and was nominated by acclamation.

In addition to Gopal, Araujo said he left messages for the Democratic County Chairs in Atlantic, Bergen, Camden, Essex, and Gloucester counties.  He said that Somerset County Chair Peg Schaffer spoke with him for over an hour.

“Chairwoman Peg Schaffer agreed to speak with me, we spoke for almost an hour and agreed that it’s up to the voters to decide their next Governor,” said Araujo,”Chairman Gopal, you should talk to Chairwoman Schaffer and take some lessons from her. You cannot endorse someone simply based on friendship. I think the Democrats in Monmouth County deserve better. You cannot be one sided… You should resign immediately.”

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Zipprich and McMillian To Challenge Angelini and Casagrande in LD 11

Red Bank Councilman Ed Zipprich and Neptune Committeeman Kevin McMillian prevailed over NJEA leader Will Potter in a three way race for two Democratic Assembly nominations in the 11th legislative district, according to our spy in Asbury Park who doesn’t want to be known for reporting for a Republican blog.

The vote tally of the only contested race of the Monmouth Democratic convention was not announced, but our source said it wasn’t close.

Assuming there are no primary upsets, Zipprich and McMillian will face incumbent Republican Assemblywomen Caroline Casagrande and Mary Pat Angelini in the November 5 general election.

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Asbury Park Dentist Will Attempt To Drill Beck

Michael Brantley, DDS. Photo: NJTopDocs

Asbury Park Dentist Dr. Michael Brantley will attempt to cap Senator Jennifer Beck’s career in the NJ State Legislature.

Brantley, a member of the Neptune Township Committee, will be nominated for State Senate from the 11th Legislative District at the Monmouth County Democratic Convention in Asbury Park this morning.

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Dog Groomer and Unknown Attorney Will Challenge Handlin and O’Scanlon in LD 13

Matthew Morehead, Dog Groomer and candidate for Assembly. facebook photo

Matthew Morehead, owner of Sudzy Puppy Dog Grooming, Middletown, and Allison Friedman an attorney from Aberdeen(according to the Truth, Justice and American Way all at once blog) will be nominated by the Monmouth Democrats for Assembly in the 13th legislative district this morning in Asbury Park.  Assuming they are unchallenged in the June 4 primary, they will likely face incumbent Republicans Amy Handlin and Declan O’Scanlon in November.

Morehead is a long term Middletown and Monmouth County Democratic activist. He was passed over by the party in his previous bids to run for Assembly.

Friedman is unknown. The State Judicary’s website has no record of an Allison Friedman licensed to practice law in New Jersey.

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Criminal Defense Attorney Will Challenge Golden For Sheriff

Ruben Scolavino, left and his client, former Corrections Officer Luis Roman, as he pleads guilty to smuggling phones and drugs into prisons. Star Ledger photo

Rueben Scolavino, Esq., of Freehold will be nominated for Sheriff by the Monmouth County Democrats this morning at their convention in Asbury Park.

Scolavino promotes himself as a Toms River DWI lawyer who “will not stop until he reaches a favorable outcome,” on his website, tomsriverdui.com

In addition to his DWI practice, Scolavino defends high profile cases including homicides, sexual assaults, drug trafficking,  and white collar crime. He is an adjunct professor at his alma matter, William Paterson University and has given guest lectures at Rutgers and Kean universities, according to his website.

In 2011, he defended a corrections officer from Northern State Prison in Newark and the Adult Diagnostic and Treatment Center in Avenel who pled guilty to smuggling cell phones and drugs into the prisons, according to a Star Ledger report.

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Gopal: Bergmanson and Araujo Did Not Apply

Monmouth Dems will unanimously endorse Buono tomorrow

Responding to Democratic gubernatorial candidates Carl Bergmanson and Willie Araujo’s statements to MMM that they were not invited to the Monmouth Democratic Nominating Convention, Chairman Vin Gopal issued the following statement:

“We have one of the most open conventions in all of New Jersey. To date, I have only heard from one candidate seeking support for the Democratic Nomination for Governor – Senator Barbara Buono. We have sent several e-mails out to our database asking candidates who are interested in running for Governor, Legislature or County Offices to file a letter of intent. In addition, we had a public post on our Facebook Page on February 3rd asking potential candidates for Governor to get their paperwork in by February 9th, our deadline for candidates for candidates seeking our support. Any candidate who says they have reached out to us and we did not get back to them is just not true. We only heard from Senator Buono and that is who we will be unanimously endorsing tomorrow.”

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Will Buono Get On The Ballot?

Buono’s Challengers Not Invited to Monmouth Democratic Convention

It’s unimaginable that the Democratic Party would nominate Carl Bergmanson or Willie Araujo over Barbara Buono for Governor.  However, Monmouth County Democratic Chairman Vin Gopal is apparently worried.

Fresh on the heels of Sea Bright Mayor Dina Long’s defection from the Buono Brigade with her endorsement of Chris Christie, Gopal sent out a plea for volunteers to collect signatures for the presumptive nominee:

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Christie: ‘Vin represents the party of yesterday’

Photo by Serena DiMaso. Taken with Tom Arone’s phone

Monmouth County Democratic Chairman Vin Gopal is only 27 years old, but he’s over the hill politically according to Governor Chris Chrisite.

Speaking in Sea Bright while accepting Mayor Dina Long’s endorsement for reelection, Christie responded to the statement Gopal issued criticising Long and threatening her political future by saying,

“Vin represents the party of yesterday,” Christie chimed. “To put out a  statement like that is a product of yesterday. Maybe Chairman Gopal will see the  wisdom” (of Christie’s brand of bipartisanship),” according to PoltickerNJ.

Following yesterday’s news of Long endorsing Chrisite, Gopal issued the following statement on facebook:

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