Someone commissioned ‘phone ID’ calls in LD 13 that went out yesterday asking Republican primary voters if they planned to vote for Republican Senator Joe Kyrillos, Tea Party challenger Leigh-Ann Bellew or if they are unsure.
Listen to the recording here.
It was left as a voice mail at an MMM reader’s home. The caller ID said the call came from 602-357-5922, a Phoenix, AZ landline listed to Danny Crosby.
None of the competing campaigns or candidates will cop to paying for the call. There was no ‘paid for’ disclosure.
‘Phone ID’ calls are not polls, per se. The data collected is used for get out the vote (GOTV) planning.
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Posted: May 1st, 2013 | Author: Art Gallagher | Filed under: 13th Legislative District, 2013 Election, Bayshore Tea Party Group, Monmouth GOP | Tags: 602-357-5922, Amy Handlin, Barbara Gonzalez, Chris Christie, Danny Crosby, Declan O'Scanlon, Ed Pekarsky, Joe Kyrillos, John Bennett, Leigh-Ann Bellew, Robo Calls | 32 Comments »
Ed Pekarsky
Matawan Councilman Tom Fitzsimmons responded yesterday to Bayshore Tea Party backed freeholder candidate Ed Pekarsky’s email to the Monmouth Young Republicans email list.
Both Fitzsimmons and Pekarsky have expressed a desire for MMM to publish Fitz’s response. We’re happy to oblige. Pekarsky and BTPG leaders expressed a desire that we use another of Pekarsky’s photos. We’re happy to oblige that request as well.
Ed,
To my knowledge, we’ve never met. But since you decided to respond to an innocuous YR invite email with a self-serving and deluded email of your own, I feel compelled to respond.
Specifically, I am compelled to respond to this statement:
”…the party I have always identified myself with as 20’s-something republican are now labeling me and those I associate with as tea-party nut jobs, big mouth amateurs and those who have no place in the political process system etc.”
As I said, I don’t know you so I don’t know whether you are, in fact, a tea party nutjob or not, or whether you consort with known tea party nutjobs. However, I can understand how you could be confused with other tea party nutjobs, as you have clearly adopted their language.
By this I refer to your smug and condescending description of yourself and your new friends as “real” Republicans; your self-congratulatory mention of your constitutional principles when they have nothing to do with the office you’re currently seeking; your mention of the evil and ubiquitous “Republican establishment”, and the tone of your letter, which is part whiny little bitch and part martyr. Since you speak the language of tea party nutjobs, you can understand how people would assume you are one. And while not all tea party members are big mouth amateurs ( or nutjobs), many of the ones around here are. If you’re upset about being lumped in with them, don’t blame the lumpers.
Posted: April 30th, 2013 | Author: Art Gallagher | Filed under: 2013 Election, Bayshore Tea Party Group, Monmouth GOP, Primary Election | Tags: Bayshore Tea Party, Ed Pekarsky, Tom Fitzsimmons | 25 Comments »
Amateur nutjob Ed Pekarsky. facebook photo
Bayshore Tea Party backed freeholder candidate Ed Pekarsy responded to an email invitation to a Monmouth County Young Republicans social event with a rant disparaging the Monmouth GOP.
While I am glad to see that Monmouth county YR’s are continuing on our traditions and prescribing to our republican principals, I did want to inform your group that over the past several years, what I knew as Republicans have changed. In many ways, old guard establishment republicanism now means larger government spending and more legislating against our freedoms while an arrogant elitism have captured the party that WE all dislike and we all have come to associate with the left in this country.
The email distribution list includes numerous Monmouth County Republican elected officials, Municipal Chairs, a state GOP staffer, a State GOP Committeeman, county employees, and former elected and party officials. Note to YR Chair Jessica Reyes…bcc is your friend.
Pekarsky went on to tell his audience that they are alienating “our own republican brothers and sisters.”
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Posted: April 29th, 2013 | Author: Art Gallagher | Filed under: 2013 Election, Bayshore Tea Party Group, Monmouth GOP | Tags: Bayshore Tea Party Group, Ed Pekarsky | 42 Comments »
LD 13:Aberdeen, Atlantic Highlands, Fair Haven, Hazlet, Highlands, Holmdel, Keansburg, Keyport, Little Silver, Marlboro, Middletown, Monmouth Beach, Oceanport, Rumson, Sea Bright, Union Beach
The idea that State Senator Joe Kyrillos and Assembly Members Amy Handlin and Declan O’Scanlon could be defeated by their Tea Party challengers, Leigh-Ann Bellew for Senate and Edna Walsh and Stephen Boracchia for Assembly, in the June 4 primary is unthinkable, even laughable, to many Monmouth County Republicans.
But recent history and a look at the numbers indicate that an upset with statewide consequences could very well be in the making if the challenge is not taken seriously.
With only nominal competition in the governor’s race, voter turnout in the Republican primary on June 4 is likely to be very low. Therein lies the danger for the incumbents. Even “good Republicans” rarely vote in primaries. Even fewer if there is no perceived competition.
There are 34,216 registered Republicans in the 13th district. In the 2011 primary, the last time the legislature was on the ballot, only 2,274 Republicans voted. The challengers know that.
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Posted: April 15th, 2013 | Author: Art Gallagher | Filed under: 2013 Election, Amy Handlin, Assembly Republicans, Bayshore Tea Party Group, Declan O'Scanlon, Diane Gooch, Joe Kyrillos, LD 13, Leigh-Ann Bellew, Monmouth County, Monmouth GOP, Primary Election, Serena DiMaso, Shaun Golden, Tom Arnone | Tags: 13th legislative district, Amy Handlin, Brian Largey, BTPG, Dan Peters, Declan O'Scanlon, Ed Pekarsky, Edna Walsh, Joe Kyrillos, LD 13, Leigh-Ann Bellew, Shaun Golden, Stephen Boracchia | 12 Comments »
Bayshore Tea Party Group Co-Founders Bob Gordon and Barbara Gonzalez took to their Asbury Park Press blog yesterday to attempt to explain why they are challenging the 13th Legislative District and County Republican incumbents. In this post I’ll attempt to explain their explanation with the benefit of having spoken to them and having attended the meeting where they introduced most of their candidates. If I get any of it wrong, I suspect they will correct me in the comments.
Gordon and Gonzalez would probably object to the characterization that they are challenging the incumbents. They would say they are supporting the challenge, not doing the challenging. Just as senate candidate Leigh-Ann Bellew said she is not the BTPG’s candidate, but anticipates the group’s support. This a linguistic distinction without a practical difference. The challenge is a Tea Party challenge.
THE PROCESS
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Posted: April 11th, 2013 | Author: Art Gallagher | Filed under: 2013 Election, Bayshore Tea Party Group, LD 13, Legislature, Monmouth County, Monmouth County Board of Freeholders, Monmouth GOP | Tags: Amy Handlin, Barbara Gonzalez, Bayshore Tea Party Group, Bob Gordon, BTPG, Declan O'Scanlon, Joe Kyrillos, John Bennett, Leigh-Ann Bellew, Serena DiMaso, Shaun Golden, Tom Arnone | 19 Comments »
Republican challenger for State Senate in the 13th Legislative District told MoreMonmouthMusings that she is not the Bayshore Tea Party Group’s candidate, as we have been reporting.
“While Bayshore will likely support me, I am not their candidate,” said Bellew, “I have a professional team running this campaign and much of my support will come from outside the tea party.”
Bellew is running against Senator Joe Kyrillos for the GOP nomination in the June 4th primary.
Posted: April 2nd, 2013 | Author: Art Gallagher | Filed under: 2013 Election, Bayshore Tea Party Group, Joe Kyrillos, Leigh-Ann Bellew, Monmouth County, Monmouth GOP, NJ State Legislature | Tags: Joe Kyrillos, LD 13, Leigh-Ann Bellew | 24 Comments »
Monmouth County Republican Chairman John Bennett said that “it is ludicrous to me that these individuals are being challenged” in the primary. Bennett was speaking to MoreMonmoutMusings about the primary challenges to his 13th legislative team of Senator Joe Kyrillos, Assembly members Amy Handlin and Declan O’Scanlon, as well as Sheriff Shaun Golden and Freeholders Tom Arnone and Serena DiMaso.
John Bennett
“I have no idea what their agenda is,” Bennett said of the Bayshore Tea Party Group and their slate of candidates who filed to challenge the incumbents today,” our candidates are doing great jobs and are conservatives.”
“We will treat this challenge like any other election against our good, strong incumbents and return these good people to office with every resource at our disposal.”
Posted: April 1st, 2013 | Author: Art Gallagher | Filed under: 2013 Election, Bayshore Tea Party Group, John Bennett, Monmouth County, Monmouth County Republican Committee, Monmouth GOP | Tags: Amy Handlin, Declan O'Scanlon, Joe Kyrillos, John Bennett, Serena DiMaso, Tom Arnone | 19 Comments »
Former Congressional candidate Leigh-Ann Bellew of Union Beach filed petitions to run for the Republican nomination for State Senate in the 13th legislative district this afternoon. Her petitions included 154 signature. Bellew is attempting to unseat incumbent State Senator Joe Kyrillos.
Edna Walsh of Middletown and Stephen Boracchia of Atlantic Highlands are challenging incumbent Assembly members Amy Handlin and Declan O’Scanlon for the Republican nominations to be decided in the June 4 primary election.
The 13th district challengers and the county candidates for Sheriff and Freeholder are running together under the slogan Republicans for Conservative Leadership.
Posted: April 1st, 2013 | Author: Art Gallagher | Filed under: 2013 Election, Bayshore Tea Party Group, Leigh-Ann Bellew, Monmouth County, Monmouth County Board of Freeholders, Monmouth GOP | Tags: Amy Handlin, Declan O'Scanlon, Edna Walsh, Joe Kyrillos, Leigh-Ann Bellew, Steven Boracchia | 13 Comments »
The Bayshore Tea Party has filed a slate of candidates to challenge the incumbent Republicans seeking reelection on the county level in Monmouth.
Daniel Peters is running against Sheriff Shaun Golden. Brian Largey and Edward Pekarsky are challenging Freeholders Tom Arnone and Serena DiMaso.
All three Tea Party candidates reside in Middletown.
Posted: April 1st, 2013 | Author: Art Gallagher | Filed under: 2013 Election, Bayshore Tea Party Group, Monmouth County, Monmouth GOP | 21 Comments »
Photo credit: Rhoda Chodosh
There was little talk of bi-partisanship in Colts Neck yesterday morning at the Monmouth Republican Nominating Convention. The Republican nominee for Governor showed up at the Monmouth County Republican Nominating Convention.
Governor Chris Christie brought the crowd of some 400 county committee members and guests to their feet several times as he declared that it is he, and the Republicans who have stood with him “along with some right thinking Democrats,” who have turned Trenton upside down since he was elected in 2009.
Christie acknowledged the impact that the Monmouth GOP had in his 2009 victory over Jon Corzine. “When most people didn’t know me, you gave me a chance. When nobody thought I could win, you did,” Christie told the crowd as he thanked Monmouth for the 64,000 vote pluarity he won in the county in ’09 general election and the first GOP county endorsement he received in the ’09 primary. He specifically thanked former Monmouth Republican Chairman Joe Oxley who is now out of politics after being sworn in as a Superior Court Judge on Friday. “I will miss Joe’s political partnership,” said the governor, “but I know New Jersey will be well served by Joe in his new position, which I had something to do with him getting.”
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Posted: March 24th, 2013 | Author: Art Gallagher | Filed under: 2013 Election, 2013 Gubernatorial Politics, Chris Christie, Joe Oxley, John Bennett, Monmouth County Republican Committee, Monmouth GOP | Tags: Chris Christie, Chris Smith, Joe Oxley, John Bennett, Monmouth GOP Convention | 1 Comment »
Someone commissioned ‘phone ID’ calls in LD 13 that went out yesterday asking Republican primary voters if they planned to vote for Republican Senator Joe Kyrillos, Tea Party challenger Leigh-Ann Bellew or if they are unsure.