Sources within the Monmouth County Democratic Organization have told MMM that former Democratic Assemblyman and tri-City News publisher Dan Jacobson is running for Assembly in the 11th legislative district as a third party candidate.
Jacobson declined to comment. What a kitten. KITTEN, KITTEN, KITTEN!
If he runs, Jacobson would be challenging Republican incumbents Mary Pat Angelini and Caroline Casagrande and Democratic challengers Vin Gopal and Marilyn Schlossbach.
As an anti-government worker union fiscal hawk, Jacobson could draw votes from the Republicans. As a strong supporter of gay marriage…the issue that prompted him to consider a challenge to Kean…he could draw votes from the Democrats.
Which side do you think a Jacobson candidacy would help and hurt? Could he possibly win? Please tell us in the comments.
The Monmouth County Democratic Organization held their Mini-Convention at the Carpenters Union Hall in Red Bank this morning. The following candidates were nominated:
For Freeholder: Incumbent Amy Mallet of Fair Haven and William Shea of Howell.
For Surrogate: Michael Steinhorn of Rumson. Steinhorn ran for Council in Rumson in 2008. He’s a realtor, a CPA and has a law degree from Brooklyn Law School.
The 11th Legislative District:
For Senate: Ray Santiago, a Freehold Township Attorney who challenged Barbara McMorrow in the Freehold Township Committee race last year.
For Assembly:
Marilyn Schlossbach of Asbury Park?
Schlossbach is the owner of several Jersey Shore Restaurants. According to her facebook pages, Schlossbach is from Belmar and lives in Normandy Beach. Normandy Beach is in the 10th legislative district.
Monmouth County Democratic Vice Chair Amy Quinn told MMM that Schlossbach owns a home in Asbury Park and that her residency will be in Asbury Park before the filing deadline.
Vin Gopal of Long Branch.
The 12th Legislative District:
The Monmouth County Democratic Organization is deferring endorsements to the other counties in this district. Bob Brown of Old Bridge is running for Senate. Catherine TinneyRome, also of Old Bridge is running for Assembly. If there is a second Assembly candidate, the Monmouth Democratic Organization is not aware of who that might be at this time.
13th Legislative District:
For Senate:
Christopher Cullen of Hazlet. Cullen served on the Hazlet Township Committee and as Mayor in the 1990’s and early 2000’s.
For Assembly:
Former Hazlet Mayor Kevin Lavan and Former Middletown Township Committeeman Patrick Short.
The 30th Legislative District:
For Senate: Steve Morlino of Howell.
The Monmouth County Democratic Organization did not endorse any Assembly candidates in the 30th. Rabbi Howard Kleinhendler of Lakewood and Pt Pleasant Borough Councilman Shaun O’Rouke are expected to receive the nominations from Ocean County.
Republican publisher and former Democratic Assemblyman Dan Jacobson says he is mulling running for Assembly in the 11th legislative district GOP primary.
The potty mouth pundit says he supports incumbent Mary Pat Angelini, in large measure due to her pro-abortion and pro-gay marriage positions and that he is considering a challenge to Caroline Casagrande. It’s not that Dan has a problem with Casagrande, like he does with Sean Kean. It’s that he thinks he can cause a transformational change in Trenton if he heads to the Assembly beholden to no one. Free of party ties, donor expectations or special interest loyalty, Dan thinks he can go to Trenton and make government more responsive to the people and less responsive to the special interests. Dan’s goal is laudable. His proposed method is fool hardy, unless he can recruit many many other candidates of a similar mind set and get all of their petitions signed between now and Monday at 4PM. Not going to happen.
But Dan knows that already. He’s lived it already the last time he was in the Assembly 20 years ago. The fun he had driving the leadership crazy is probably more on his mind now than the frustration he experienced. That memory of the fun could be what is driving his consideration of a bid.
What Dan apparently doesn’t realize is that if he files to run for Assembly in the 11th district GOP primary he doesn’t get to choose who he is challenging. He says he is considering a challenge to Casagrande and not Angelini, but the balloting doesn’t work that way.
Assuming Mary Pat, Caroline and Dan are the only candidates in the primary, the election would be a 3 way race for 2 nominations. Dan can say he’s only challenging Caroline all he wants. The truth is that it would be a 3 way race for 2 nominations and Dan could end up knocking off Mary Pat instead of Caroline.
From my point of view Jacobson is a bigger threat in a 3 way to Angelini than he is to Casagrande. Take it from me, the powerful Republican blogger as Dan calls me, if Jacobson runs he is more of a threat to Angelini than he is to Casagrande.
By both perception and reality, Angelini is more liberal than Casagrande. While the very popular Angelini will likely be the top vote getter in the general election, she has some problems with the conservative Republican base. Hardcore conservative voters can be fickle. Many will vote for Casagrande and no one else. Many will vote for Casagrande and Jacobson, just to send a message to Angelini. They won’t mind if Jacobson beats Angelini, figuring they can knock Jacobson off in two years with a real conservative.
Angelini and Casagrande will be bracketed together on the ballot. Assuming Dan is the only primary challenger, his name would be appear in the column immediately to the right of Angelini and Casagrande on the ballot. If the party organization positions Mary Pat and Caroline alphabetically, which would make sense since they have the same seniority, Angelini’s name would appear above Casagrande’s. Jacobson’s name would appear on the ballot right next to Angelini, making it appear on the ballot that Dan is running against Angelini. Even though the instructions will say “Vote for Two,” many uninformed voters will think they have to choose between Angelini and Jacobson before voting for Casagrande who will appear to be unchallenged. Some will chose Jacobson and then vote for Casagrande.
Just some food for thought for Dan to include in his mulling this weekend.
MoreMonmouthMusings has learned that Red Bank Councilman Michael DuPont, also the Treasurer of the NJ Turnpike Authority and Borough Attorney of Sayreville, will not be a candidate for Senate or Assembly in the new 11th legislative district.
DuPont told RedBankGreen ,”it’s not happening. I have a young family, including twin four year olds.” Translation: Being a Senator would be a pay cut for DuPont that he can’t afford now.
Former West Long Branch Democratic Chairman and Kucinich for President Deputy National Campaign Manager Vin Gopal confirmed that he is in the running for an Assembly nomination in the 11th.
Gopal will not have an easy ride to the nomination in the competitive field. Sources who swear they will never talk to me again if I name them say State Democratic Chairman John Wisniewski is opposed to Gopal’s candidacy because of how Vin cost The Wiz a Senate seat by rallying progressive Democrats against the Chairman’s preferred legislative map. As co-chair the the Redistricting Commission, Wisniewski proposed a Middlesex County District that would have pitted ultra liberal Kucinch type Democratic Senators Barbara Buono and Joe Vitale in the same district and left the Wiz in a district with no incumbent Senator so that he could move up himself. In part because of Gopal’s efforts, Middlesex got a Senate vacancy in the 12th that is going to Sam Thompson.
Freehold Township attorney Ray Santiago is now said to be the front runner for the Democratic Senate nod in the 11th, rather than a candidate for Surrogate or Assembly as previously reported. Boosters of Santiago for Senate are touting his Hispanic origin. Someone should tell them that Gopal is Asian.
Elsewhere in the 11th, Republican publisher and former Democratic Assemblyman Dan Jacobson announced in the triCityNews that he is now considering running in the GOP primary for Assembly against Caroline Casagrande now that Sean Kean is in the 30th district. Jacobson said in the triCityNews published yesterday that he was going to take a week to mull it over. I was going to plead with my readers not to tell Dan that the filing deadline in Monday the 11th, but Jacobson just said he wrote that eariler in the week and is aware of the deadline. He said that he will make a decision over the weekend.
Manalapan Mayor Andrew Lucas told MoreMonmouthMusings that he will not be a candidate for Senate or Assembly in the GOP primary in the new 12th legislative district.
The Ocean and Middlesex GOPs nominated Sam Thompson for Senate and Ronald Dancer and Rob Clifton for Assembly earlier this week. The Monmouth and Burlington County Committees are expected to do the same tomorrow.
Lucas said that he would do all that he could this fall to make sure Republicans are elected in the 12th district and throughout Monmouth County.
Clifton said, ” I have a great deal of respect for Andrew Lucas. He is a great Mayor and will be a leader in Monmouth County and New Jersey for years to come.”
Assemblyman Sam Thompson of Old Bridge told MoreMonmouthMusings that he has the support of his fellow 12th district county chairmen for his bid to run for State Senate.
Thompson, who is also the Middlesex County GOP Chairman said that Ocean Chair George Gilmore, Monmouth Chair Joe Oxley and Burlington Chair Bill Layton each indicated that they would recommend that their respective conventions or screening committees nominate him for Senator. He is confident that his own convention will award him the nomination.
Thompson said he would ask the Middlesex County Convention to nominate Monmouth County Freeholder Director Rob Clifton for the Assembly seat that Thompson now holds. Assemblyman Ronald Dancer, Plumsted is also expected to be nominated.
Clifton told MMM that he proudly supports Thompson for Senate, that he looks forward to campaigning with him and Dancer and serving with them in Trenton.
Manalapan Mayor Andrew Lucas, who has said he will challenge Clifton in the primary, was not immediately available for comment.
Senators Robert Singer and Sean Kean have come to an agreement that has Singer running for Senate in the new 30th legislative district and Kean running for Assembly. Assemblyman Dave Rible will complete the Monmouth-Ocean GOP ticket in the district.
“It has been an honor and a privilege to serve as the Senator for coastal Monmouth County’s 11th District for the last four years,” said Senator Kean. “I care deeply about this state and refuse to let a political hit job by the Democratic redistricting commissioners derail my desire to serve. I have been in the trenches of Governor Christie’s efforts to bring fiscal discipline and property tax relief to the most highly taxed people in America since the beginning. That is a fight on which I have no intention of giving up. After a great deal of thought and consultation with family, friends, and supporters, I have decided to seek election to the Assembly in the new 30th District. Bob Singer and I have a great working relationship representing adjacent districts in the Senate and a tremendous amount of mutual respect. I look forward to working with him for the good of our newly shared constituents in Monmouth and Ocean Counties.”
Singer said he looks forward running with Kean in the upcoming campaign. “Sean is a talented legislator who works hard for the people he represents,” said Singer. “We need him in the Legislature to stand with the taxpayers after the damage done to New Jersey by ten years of unchecked Democratic control of Trenton. I want to thank him for putting the needs of the people we serve and party unity ahead of personal ambition, and look forward to serving with him and Assemblyman Rible in our new district.”
“The Democrats created this district so that Republicans would spend resources fighting each other while they sit back and get ready for the general election and it looks as like that is going to happen.” So said Ocean County GOP Chairman George Gilmore about the new 30th legislative district in an interview with MMM early yesterday afternoon.
Within hours what had seemed to be a certain primary between Senators Sean Kean and Robert Singer was apparently avoided. “Sean is talking to Singer,” said Monmouth GOP Chairman Joe Oxley, “There will be no war between the Ocean and Monmouth Republican organizations. Ocean and Monmouth were key counties in delivering a victory to Governor Christie and we will be working together to deliver Republican gains in the legislature.”
Kean later told the Asbury Park Press that he was uncertain about challenging Singer in the primary. Singer told the APP that should he retire, that Kean would face an Senate candidate from Lakewood.
With both Senators backing off their firm positions to run, it appears that cooler heads will prevail as a slate is chosen with an eye towards victory in November.
The new 12th district will not be such a heavy lift. “With three counties, Middlesex, Monmouth and Ocean, each having roughly 1/3 of the population of the district it would seem that each county should have a representative in the legislature,” said Gilmore. Oxley concurred.
Middlesex County Chairman Sam Thompson, Old Bridge, is an incumbent Assemblyman from the new 12th district. He has been angling to get the senate nod, touting the fact that he would be the only GOP Senator from Middlesex County and that his senatorial courtesy would give the Christie administration a new bargaining chip in dealing with the Democrats. GOP sources in the legislature and the administration are divided over the benefit of Thompson having sentatorial courtesy so long as there is a Republican governor. “The Senate seems to be slipping away from Sam,” said one senior Republican close to the process.
Oxley does not consider Manalapan Mayor Andrew Lucas’ primary bid in the new 12th to be a serious undertaking. “I don’t know who is giving Andrew his political advice,” said Oxley, “this is not fun and games, it is serious business.” Oxley was referring to Lucas’ comment on MMMthat a legislative primary against Freeholder Director Rob Clifton would be fun.
If Clifton is awarded “the line” in Middlesex, Monmouth and Ocean, a Lucas primary victory would appear to be unlikely even if he runs a competitive race in his Western Monmouth base.
While not exactly news, Senator Robert Singer of Lakewood told Gannett’s Michael Symons that he is definitely running for the Senate seat in the new 30th legislative district that includes Wall Township, the home of Senator Sean Kean.
Singer had nice things to say about Kean who he called a friend and a great legislator. Singer said he hadn’t spoken to Kean. Symons said Kean didn’t return a message seeking comment. What a relief! I was beginning to take Kean’s lack of availability personally.
