Happy Birthday Anna Little

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Little Positioning Herself To Join Perry Campaign

Anna Little spent Hurricane Irene in Texas singing her own praises to Governor Rick Perry.

Upon her return, Little proceeded to inform supporters that she will be the number 2 person in Perry’s 2012 presidential campaign in the Garden State and that her “ass will be the one to kiss” in the NJ GOP.  Little wouldn’t disclose to her supporters who Perry’s number 1 will be.

Multiple published reports have indicated that Governor Christie has asked NJ Republican donors and operatives not to commit to a presidential candidate.  I guess Little will no longer have front row seats at the Governor’s town hall meetings.

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Independence Hall Tea Party PAC Plugs Anna Little For U.S. Senate

In an email to “Members and Friends,” Don Adams, President of the Independence Hall Tea Party PAC, declared that the PAC’s favorite candidate to challenge U.S. Senator Robert Menendez is Anna Little:

If you are unable to make lunch in Newark tomorrow, feel free to express your thoughts on the idea of Little running for U.S. Senate next year here in the comments.  I’m sure the word will get back to her.

Personally, I think Little should hold out for the Vice Presidential nomination.  If elected, she would be the first female Vice President of the United States that speaks fluent Spanish, was a Monmouth County Freeholder, Mayor of Highlands, and who lost to Frank Pallone.

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Little Campaign Raises No Money

By Art Gallagher

For the second consecutive quarter, Anna C. Little for Congress Inc has reported raising no money to the Federal Election Commission.

In the FEC Form 3 filed electronically by campaign treasurer Jane Frotten, the Little campaign says it spent $216.41 for communications (Constant Contact and Vonage) and bank charges.  The campaign has cash of $1,749.64.  $2,123 is owed to Larry Cirignano for travel expenses and $700 is owed to Little.  The debt cash and debt are carried over from the first quarter report.

Little declared her 2012 candidacy for congress during her 2010 concession speech at the Shore Casino on November 2, 2010.  Since then she has been a fixture at Governor Chris Christie’s Town Hall meetings and at party and candidate fund raising events.  The campaign has a strategy meeting tomorrow, July 19, from 5PM-6:30PM at the Keyport IHOP.

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Could Pallone Be A Redistricting Target?

By Art Gallagher

The Star Ledger’s Auditor  is raising the question. 

The members of the Redistricting Commission must be appointed by June 15.   The Auditor says he/she was told that Democratic State Chairman John Wisniewski plans to void the appointment of Belmar resident Maggie Moran to the commission.  Moran, former Governor Corzine’s deputy chief of staff and campaign manager, was appointed to the commission by former Chairman Joe Cryan, at Pallone’s urging, as one of Cryan’s last acts before turning the chairmanship over to Wisniewski.

Moran, who is the wife of Belmar Mayor Matt Doherty, is supposed to be Pallone’s eyes and ears on the commission.   Her removal would be a blow to Pallone, according to The Auditor, this year in particular as New Jersey is losing a congressional district.  One incumbent congressman will lose his job regardless of the electoral outcome.  The Auditor implies that Democratic boss George Norcross and Republican Governor Chris Christie would like that incumbent to be Pallone.

How would that work?

Pallone’s 6th district borders the 4th, 7th, 12th and 13th districts.  He resides in Long Branch which is in the south east coastal part of the district.

While it is entirely possible in New Jersey that a gerrymandered district that includes Long Branch of Monmouth County could be combined with Clinton Township in Hunterdon County, home of 7th district Republican Congressman Leonard Lance or West New York, Hudson County, home of 13th district Democratic Congressman Albio Sires, neither scenario is likely.

Combining Pallone’s 6th with Rush Holt’s 12th would make sense based on geography as the 12th shares the largest border with the 6th.  Even though neither Pallone or Holt is particularly well liked by Democratic leaders in New Jersey or Washington, it is unlikely that the Democrats would surrender a district without a fight. 

Which would leave a match up between New Jersey’s two most senior congressmen, Pallone who has been in Congress since 1988 and 4th district Congressman Republican Chris Smith who has served since 1981.  While it would be unusual that seniority be discarded as an incumbent protection consideration during a redistricting battle, an argument could be made along the lines of “continuity of representation.”  Pallone first went to Congress as the representative of the 3rd district after the death of Congressman James Howard.  Much of the pre-1992 3rd district is now part of the 4th.

Even with his $4 million war chest, it is hard to imagine Pallone beating Smith in a combined district that includes southeast Monmouth and portions of Republican Ocean and Burlington counties.  Smith would dominate in his Mercer home turf.

Pallone vs. Smith would be a great race.  It probably won’t happen.  I’ll explain why at the end of this piece.  But first let’s have some fun speculating about the fallout of such a district.

If Long Branch and Pallone are moved south into a district combined with portions of Smith’s (of Hamilton in Mercer County) 4th district,  it would make sense that the Northern Monmouth portions of the present 6th district would be folded into the Rush Holt’s 12th district.  

That would create an interesting race for the GOP nomination in the 12th.  Diane Gooch, Mike Halfacre, Anna Little, and Scott Sipprelle could all be contenders for that nomination.

Little beat Gooch for the 6th district nomination primary by 83 votes before losing to Pallone by 11% in the 2010 general election.  She declared that a loss of only 11% was a victory and launched her 2012 race against Pallone in the weirdest election night concession speech ever.   Since election night 2010 Little has alienated herself from both her local Tea Party and establishment GOP supporters.  She’s chomping at the bit for a rematch with both Gooch and Pallone, but she’s referred to as a “coo coo bird” by former supporters.  A Pallone-Smith match up would wreck havoc on her delusions.   Only Little, her family and Larry Cirignano, her escort/handler/manager/driver/tenant, believe Anna Little will ever be nominated for congress again.

Halfacre, the Mayor of Fair Haven, has been kicking himself for bowing out of the race for the 12th district nomination since Tea Party candidate David Corsi beat Sipprelle in Monmouth County in the 2010 primary.  Sipprelle won the nomination by virtue of his margin of victory in Mercer, Middlesex, Somerset and Hunterdon before losing to Holt by 7% in the general. 

Halfacre was the Tea Party favorite during his contentious race against Sipprelle for the party lines in 2010. Sipprelle won all the county party lines and Halfacre correctly concluded that a primary against Sipprelle without at least the Monmouth or Middlesex lines was not winnable.  Corsi’s Monmouth victory naturally lead to “what ifs?”  Little’s narrow victory over Gooch created additional “what ifs?”

But the self funding Sipprelle did not spend any money to defeat Corsi.   Gooch took victory over Little for granted in the primary.   Given how contentious the Sipprelle-Halfacre county conventions/screenings were, it is likely that a primary between to two would have been bloody and expensive.  Halfacre couldn’t have matched Sipprelle’s money.

Halfacre would have a heavy lift to regain his Tea Party support.  If either Gooch or Sipprelle seek the nomination, he would have a heavier lift to raise the money necessary to compete.  After Little’s victory in the 2010 primary, it will be a long time before any candidate or county party organization takes a Tea Party challenge for granted.  Halfacre’s best hope for a nomination against Holt is for both Gooch and Sipprelle to conclude that 2012, a presidential year with Obama leading the ticket, is not the year to take on Holt.   

Both Gooch and Sipprelle are staying in front of the party faithful.  Gooch with Strong New Jersey and Sipprelle with the Lincoln Club of New Jersey, organizations each has founded since losing their respective races.  Gooch has been open about wanting to run for congress again, depending on how the districts are drawn.  Sipprelle has been coy about a future candidacy.

A Gooch-Sipprelle primary defies imagination.  Given the money both could spend on such a race, a deal would likely be brokered by the state and county party chairmen before it would occur.  But if ego got the better of either of them, it would be quite a race.   A more sensible sceanario would be for one of the millionaires to take on U.S . Senator Robert Menendez while the other takes on Holt.  

So while redistricting Pallone and Smith into the same district could make the Republican nomination contest in the Holt’s district more interesting, a Pallone-Smith battle is unlikely even should a district be drawn that way.  Should such a district be drawn look for Pallone to retire from the House and use his hefty war chest as a down payment for a statewide race for Governor in 2013.

Pallone’s $4 million war chest would clear the field of Democratic candidates for Governor, unless Chris Christie isn’t a candidate or has anemic poll numbers, neither of which is likely.  Christie would love to defeat Pallone, which he would but it would probably be a close race.  Pallone would then run for U.S. Senate in 2014, assuming Frank Lautenberg finally retires.

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Little Raises No Money. Has Less Than $2000 Cash On Hand

Campaign Treasurer Claims 2011 Donations and Expenses Are Not Included–Disclosure Not Required

By Art Gallagher

The fledgling campaign of Anna Little to unseat Congressman Frank Pallone raised no money in the first quarter of this year, spent $5,600 of campaign funds left over from last year and has $1966.00 cash on hand, according to Little’s FEC Form 3, Record of Receipts And Disbursements, filed with the Federal Election Commission on Monday.

The campaign owes its manager, Larry Cirignano, $2,123 and Little $700.00.

The $5,600 spent was for fundraising, accounting, rent and phone bills, according to the report.

Little’s $1000 sponsorship of the Bayshore Tea Party’s St. Patrick’s Day Celebration featuring guest speaker James O’Keefe was not reported.  The sponsorship check was drawn on the account of Anna C. Little for Congress Inc. and dated March 11, 2011.  Bayshore Tea Party founder Barbara Gonzalez verified that the check cleared.

Also not reported, either in this week’s filing nor in Little’s final 2010 report, was any expenditure for the campaign’s election night gathering at the Shore Casino.

Asked about the missing expenditures, Cirignano told MoreMonmouthMusings, “I don’t know anything about it.”

In an email to previous donors during the last week of March, Cirignano asked supporters to donate as much as they could by March 31 in order that Little’s report would have an impressive showing in the amount of individual donors, if not in the amount of money raised.

Little for Congress Treasurer Jane Frotton said that this week’s report applies to the 2010 campaign only. “Anna has not formally announced or filed that she is running in 2012,” said Frotten, “our expert in Washington said we don’t have to disclose 2011-2012 receipts or expenditures because we haven’t filed and because we have not raised enough money.”  Frotten said the Bayshore Tea Party sponsorship was a 2011-2012 expenditure that is not required to be disclosed yet.

Frotton said the Shore Casino bill was “paid by somebody else. There is a $250 balance due that I haven’t paid yet.”  When asked if the Shore Casino bill was reported as an inkind contribution or if the $250 balance due was reported as a debt, Frotton said “no.”

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Anna Little To Seek State Senate (Or Assembly) Nomination

Highlands, April 1- Former Highlands Mayor Anna Little is preparing to run for State Senate or Assembly, depending on the configuration of the new legislative map that will be announced on Sunday in Trenton.

“This is not about me,” said Little, “the people, born and unborn, are asking me to do this.”

Should Highlands remain in a district with Wall and Asbury Park, Little will jump into the fray between Senator Sean Kean and Republican publisher Dan Jacobson. “I can’t tell you how many people have called me since the news that Jacobson was running. It is bad enough that no body knows where Kean stands on LIFE and that the gay marriage bill was a “tough decision” for him.  The prospect of an unholy man like Dan Jacobson in the Senate is truly frightening. The people have asked me to prevent that from happening.”

Little’s chief strategist, Larry Vote Cirignano, said that some proposed maps have Highlands in a district largely comprised of the Bayshore, long considered Little’s base. “In that scenario, Anna will run for Assembly,” said Vote, “that’s Joe Kyrillos’ Senate seat. Kyrillos has been a good friend to Anna, he’s like part of the Army.  I don’t like Joe much, but Anna said she would not run against him.”

What about the incumbent Assembly members in that district? Cirignano was not concerned, “Old Bridge and Sam Thompson could be moved to another district, in which case there would be a vacancy.  If Little Silver and Declan O’Scanlon are part of the district, Anna would be the top vote getter in a three way primary between O’Scanlon and Amy Handlin.”

Little said that her election to the State Legislature would not stop her quest to unseat Congressman Frank Provolone, “You don’t understand, the people want me to do this.  It’s all part of the plan.  It will be easier to raise money to defeat Pallone if I’m holding state office.  Besides, I really need the legislative salary and the people want me to have it.”

Cirignano said fund raising was not a concern. “We’re waging a campaign to get 3 million people, born and unborn, to contribute $25 each to Anna’s Ambition, our new 501 CRAZEE.”

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Anna Little For Senate?

By Art Gallagher

Anna Little told NJ.com’s The Auditor that she is thinking of challenging U.S. Senator Robert Menendez rather than Congressman Frank Pallone in 2012:

Tea party darling Anna Little has made no secret that she wants to challenge U.S. Rep. Frank Pallone (D-6th Dist.) again in 2012. But Little told The Auditor she is thinking about setting her sights even higher by going after Democratic U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez next year.

“There are a lot of people pushing me to do it,” said Little, who upset a millionaire Republican in last year’s 6th District congressional primary, but lost the general election to Pallone. “It’s has been suggested I consider a statewide Senate race. I have not ruled that out, but right now I’m just focused on Pallone,” she said.

” A lot of people” include Independence Hall Tea Party President Teri Adams of Cheltenham Pennsylvania, according to The Auditor and and RoseAnn Salanitri of the Sussex County Tea Party, according to Terry Hurlbut at Examiner.com.

It is telling that there are no 6th district Tea Party activists quoted by either The Auditor or Hurlbut.   Those who know Little best in the Tea Party movement don’t consider her a darling.  Disappointment, distraction and destructive is how Little is considered by many local Tea Party leaders and activists now.   What is left of “Anna’s Army” is little more than a platoon.

It doesn’t matter what office Little seeks in 2012.  The only way she gets nominated next year for any office higher than Councilwoman in Highlands is if no one else wants the nomination.   The Monmouth and Union County GOP leadership are not happy with her.  The local Tea Parties say she will have no leg up over any other candidate in 2012 as they will consider all candidates before granting the Tea Party seal of approval.

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Little To Address The Middlesex Republican Women’s Club

By Art Gallagher

Former Highlands Mayor Anna Little will be the guest speaker at the Middlesex Republican Women’s Club meeting on Thursday evening January 27, 7:30 PM, at the East Brunswick Library, 1 Civic Center Dr, East Brunswick.

Little’s topic will be Can TEA (Taxed Enough Already) Party and Republicans Change Washington?  She will discuss how the principles of smaller government, less spending, constitutionally based government and the new Republican Majority in the House of Representatives will affect the new 112th session of Congress.

The club will also have a discussion of their annual Reagan Day fundraiser, which will be held on February 20, 2PM-5PM at Garvey’s Restaurant in Monroe Township.

All interested parties, including bloggers and reporters, are welcome to meeting.  Men and women are welcome.

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Anna Little: New Jersey’s Supreme Court Is Unconstitutional

By Art Gallagher

Former congressional candidate Anna Little told a meeting of the Highlands Republican Club that the composition of the New Jersey Supreme Court is unconstitutional and “we do not have a Chief Justice as far as I am concerned.”  She said she would file suit to challenge the new congressional district map if the court continues to have a vacancy when and if Chief Justice Stuart Rabner appoints a tie-breaking vote to the redistricting commission.

“Governor Christie did not reappoint Judge Wallace, who is on hold-over status,” said Little, “Senator Sweeney won’t approve Wallace’s replacement because Wallace is a Democrat.”

Justice John Wallace left the court in May of 2010 as a result of Governor Christie declining to reappoint him.  Democrats have charged that Christie is tampering with the independence of the judiciary.  Senate President Steve Sweeney has refused to hold hearings on Christie’s nominee to the court, Morris County Attorney Anne Patterson.

In an opinion issued in December, Associate Justice Roberto Rivera-Soto asserted that the Chief Justice Rabner does not have the authority to appoint a temporary justice to fill the vacancy unless necessary to fill a quorum on the court.  Rabner appointed Appellate Judge Edwin Stern to fill the court’s seventh seat.  Five justices constitute a quorum.  Rivera-Soto said he would refrain from participating in decisions so long as Stern sits on the court, declaring that Rabner’s appointment of Stern was unconstitutional.   Rivera-Soto later modified his position, stating that he would vote and issue opinions unless he decides to abstain.  In between the two statements, Rivera-Soto informed Christie that he would not seek to be reappointed when he term expires in September.  Many Democrats, notably Sweeney and former Senate President/Acting Governor Richard Codey have called on Rivera -Soto to resign immediately.

Little caused herself some problems during the 2010 congressional campaign while flashing her constitutional scholar credentials.  In an October 2010 column, Star Ledger columnist Tom Moran said of Little,

“One is left with the feeling that Little hasn’t done her homework. Politics is refreshed by new faces and perspectives, but the best rookies study hard before they swing this wildly. The tea party is bringing us a new breed. They are angry, as we are often told. But isn’t there something arrogant about this, too?”

MMM doesn’t often agree with Moran,  but the shoe seems to fit in this case.

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