Freehold Businessman Announces U.S. Senate Run

Rich Pezzullo

Monmouth county businessman Rich Pezzullo will throw his hat into the US Senate race in New Jersey during an appearance at the Freehold Township Republican Club tonight , 7 PM, at the Szechuan Star Restaurant in Freehold New Jersey.

Pezzullo, 55, is a IT consultant serving small businesses. He served in the U.S. Army Reserves for 20 years, attaining the rank of Major, according to his campaign website.

In 1997, Pezzullo ran for Governor as the nominee of the New Jersey Conservative Party.

If Pezzullo wins the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate, he will attempt to unseat Senator Cory Booker in the November election.

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Doherty Will Not Challenge Booker

State Senator Mike Doherty, considered the most conservative member of the NJ Senate, will not attempt to block U.S. Senator Cory Booker from being elected to his own six year term.

A source close to Doherty told MMM that the senator is focused on his appointment to the State Senate Committee investigating the Christie Administration’s involvement in the George Washington Bridge lane closure scandal that has become know as Bridgegate. Doherty was one of three Republicans appointed to the seven member committee by Senate President Sweeney yesterday.  Senators Kevin O’Toole (Essex and Passaic) and Gerald Cardinale (Bergen) are the other Republicans on the investigating committee.  The Democrats are Senators Loretta Weinberg (Bergen), the Chair, Nicholas Scutari(Hudson) Nia Gill (Essex) and Linda Greenstein (Mercer and Middlesex).

“Mike would not have accepted that appointment if he were going to run for U.S. Senate,” this source said, “The party is in disarray and the investigation will be time consuming.”

Steve Lonegan,  Booker’s opponent in the Special Election for U.S. Senate last October,  told The Star Ledger that Doherty should run.   Lonegan has announced his candidacy to the House of Representatives seat being vacated by Congressman Jon Runyan in New Jersey’s 3rd Congressional District.

Assembly Minority Leader Jon Bramnick announced this morning that he would not be challenging Booker.

West Orange businessman Brian Goldberg, a political newcomer, is the only announced Republican candidate to U.S. Senate to date.

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Bramnick Won’t Run For Senate

By Matt Rooney, SaveJersey.com

Asm. Jon Bramnick has shocked the N.J. political world by declining to run for U.S. Senate in 2014, Save Jerseyans, leaving the field wide open…

His statement:

“After thoroughly considering the opportunity to run for United States Senate in 2014, I have decided to remain focused on my role as Assembly Republican Leader. I appreciate the support and enthusiasm offered to me by countless party leaders, elected officials, and devoted volunteers across New Jersey. I look forward to continuing to work with Governor Christie and the dedicated members of the Assembly Republican caucus to advocate for the hardworking taxpayers of our state. “

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Forget trying to beat Booker, the NJ GOP should plan for the next gubernatorial election

photo via facebook

U.S. Senator Cory Booker is going to be elected to his own full term next November.

None of the Republicans said to be considering a challenge to Booker can beat him.

It’s not that Booker is invincible, as was widely thought prior to the Special Senate Election last October.  He is beatable.  Steve Lonegan exposed the fallacies of the Booker myth and Patrick Murray documented that Booker’s support is shallow.   Had Washington Republicans not followed Senator Ted Cruz’s lead to shut down the government in October and had State Comptroller Matt Boxer released his audit of Newark’s City Government which exposed millions of wasted taxpayer money and management practices that encourage fraud in September instead of this week, Lonegan might have pulled off the upset that Booker deserved.

There’s nothing wrong with 4 of the 5 Republicans reported to be looking to challenge Booker.  Assembly Minority Leader Jon Bramnick, Senator Minority Leader Tom Kean JR, Senator Mike Doherty or Assemblyman Jay Webber would all serve New Jersey well in the U.S. Senate.

That Darryl Isherwood included Assemblyman Chris Brown is his list of 5 Republican of potential candidates to challenge Booker is more of a reflection of Isherwood’s sense of humor than it is of Brown’s viability as a candidate for any office in the future.  After blaming his Assembly running mate John Amodeo’s 39 vote loss on Governor Christie, Brown will be lottery winner lucky if he is even re-nominated for his Assembly seat in 2015.  “What will Brown do after politics?” MMM asked a senior Republican strategist after the gaffe.  “We’ll find out soon,” the strategist said with a laugh.

(Correction:  As a commenter pointed out, Isherwood was referring to a different Assemblyman Chris Brown (the LD 8 Brown) than the one who blamed Christie for his running mate’s loss.  My mistake makes my overall point.  MMM readers are more informed than the average voter.  How many knew there was even one Chris Brown in the Assembly prior to the LD 2 Brown’s gaffe?  There isn’t a member of the legislature with the statewide name ID to compete with Booker~ Art)

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5 Republicans who could challenge Cory Booker for his Senate seat

5 Republicans who could challenge Cory Booker for his Senate seat (via NJ.com)

With Election Day behind us and the end of the year approaching, there is still one political question that has yet to be answered: Who will challenge Sen. Cory Booker in next year’s Senate contest? So far, no challenger has emerged, though several…

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Monmouth Poll Shows Booker’s Weakness

Lonegan can close the gap

New Jersey voters do not buy that Newark Mayor Cory Booker is a “new kind of politician,” according to the Monmouth University/Asbury Park Press Poll released this morning.

Booker responded on social media. He’s a kind politician, not a new kind of politician.

Hmmm.  This post might give New Jersey more insight into Booker’s foreign policy philosophy than the Lonegan campaign’s “silly and childish” tweet during a Democratic primary debate. Let’s be kind to terrorists and our foreign enemies.  That fits with the Obama/HClinton/Kerry foreign policy of apologizing for America.

Patrick Murray’s poll of likely voters continues to show Booker beating GOP nominee Steve Lonegan by double digits.  Today’s 54%-38% Booker lead is nearly identical to the pre-primary 53%-37%  lead the Newark Mayor enjoyed in June.  In other words, Lonegan has gained no ground by deploying his anti-Obama campaign strategy in the last two months.

But despite his huge victory, the Democratic primary took something of a toll on Booker’s favorability ratings, which have dropped 12 points net since June.  Given how easy Congressmen Frank Pallone and Rush Holt went on Booker during the primary, a 12 point drop is significant.

photo via facebook

In order to close the gap and make the Special Senate Election competitive, Lonegan needs to scrap the idea of making the campaign a referendum on President Obama’s policies.  We had that referendum last November and Obama won in New Jersey by 18 points.  Lonegan has said that Obama’s numbers are going to drop. They have dropped a bit, only 49% of New Jersey likely voters told the Monmouth University poll that they approved of the President, while 43% disapprove.  If those numbers suddenly plunge, Lonegan will benefit without trying.  If Obama’s approval stays stubbornly positive, as they have through various scandals, Lonegan stands to gain little ground.

50% of those who said they have a favorable opinion of Booker also said they could change their minds.  Booker’s favorables are soft.  Obama’s have proven to be stubborn.

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Eck Clarifies Her Position On Abortion, Says She Can’t Imagine Lonegan Getting Elected, Will Run For Senate In 2014

At Steve Lonegan’s press conference on Saturday, the front runner in tomorrow’s GOP primary to replace the late U.S. Senator Frank Lautenberg said that his opponent, Dr. Alieta Eck, first presented herself the party as pro-life but recently announced she was pro-abortion.  Lonegan said Eck should leave the Republican party.

The confusion arose out of comments Eck made during a meeting of the Long Hill Republicans last week wherein she said that there was no practical way for the government to prevent abortions during the early stages of pregnancy.

MMM wanted to clear up the confusion and understand Eck’s position.  She granted Art Gallagher an interview yesterday at her free health clinic in Somerset.

Eck said she is unabashedly pro-life. We spoke about her work with the poor, her experiences campaigning for Senate, and her political future.

Eck said she can’t imagine that Lonegan will be elected in the  October 16 Special Senate Election, if he defeats her, as the polls indicate he will tomorrow.  She said she will be a candidate for U.S. Senate again next year should the Democratic nominee selected tomorrow be elected.  She wouldn’t rule out another primary against Lonegan, even if Lonegan is elected in October.

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Scudiery Aggressively Out To See Pallone Defeated

Former Monmouth County Democratic Chairman Puts His Money Where His Mouth Is

Victor V. Scudiery, the Monmouth County businessman and former 23 year Chairman of the Monmouth County Democrats, is backing up his endorsement of Newark Mayor Cory Booker in the August 13 Special U.S. Senate Primary with an aggressive negative endorsement of Congressman Frank Pallone.

Scudiery is launching a personally financed campaign this morning designed to weaken Pallone’s support in his 6th Congressional district home base of Monmouth and Middlesex Counties. Scudiery’s efforts are independent of and without the prior knowledge of the Booker for Senate campaign.

The $45,000 campaign includes a mailing to 75,000 likely Democratic primary voters, print ads in local weekly newspapers and a web based ad campaign on local websites.

“I might even spend more by the time the 13th (the August 13th primary) comes around,” Scudiery said this morning.

“He’s all about himself, not for the people,” Scudiery said of the congressman whose tenure coincided with his own marathon as party chairman, “When I brought him to events, non-political events, like for senior citizens, Italian-Americans or small businesses, people would always say, ‘Frank, you never got back to me, I need your help,’ He’s been an embarrassment.  He rarely followed through. When he did follow through, it was usually with excuses, not results.”

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Pallone’s Family Values

By Art Gallagher

Frank Pallone has been my congressman for almost twenty years.   Through ten election cycles, I don’t recall Pallone ever promoting himself as a family man.  I didn’t even know he was married (to a woman) until 2010 when, during Anna Little’s first campaign against him, triCityNews columnist Ernesto Cullari revealed that Pallone’s wife, Sarah had secured a six figure job in the Environmental Protection Agency.

So I was surprised to find the above Pallone family portrait on Frank’s Senate campaign website and facebook page.  In his video ad, Typical Jersey Story, Frank looks into the camera and says, “Sarah and I have three teenagers, which means that things are a little crazy at home, most of the time.”  Frank’s facebook introduction starts,”Husband, Father, Democrat, Public Servant.  Frank Pallone, Jr. has been fighting for the people of this state for over 2 decades.”

After wondering why Pallone’s eldest daughter isn’t squinting, the next question to occur to me upon seeing the portrait was, “Why after almost three decades of keeping his family life private, is Pallone trotting his family out on the campaign trail?”

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Scudiery Endorsing Booker For U.S. Senate, Bashes Pallone

Former Monmouth Democratic Chairman Victor Scudiery

Former Monmouth County Democratic Chairman Victor Scudiery is breaking with the organization he lead for over 20 years by endorsing Newark Mayor Cory Booker over Congressman Frank Pallone in the Special Senate Primary on August 13.

“I was born and raised in Newark,” Scudiery told MMM, “I have great admiration for Mayor Booker and what he has accomplished in the city and with their schools.  I believe he is the right person to move up to be our next United States Senator.

“Newark is not an easy city to govern, but they’ve made great strides under Mayor Booker.  I am proud to support him.”

Scudiery said that the Monmouth County campaign headquarters of the Booker campaign will open on Thursday in the Airport Plaza Shopping Center which he owns.

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