Lonegan Concedes

photo credit: Charles Measley

Former Mayor Steve Lonegan conceded the Special U.S. Senate election to Newark Mayor Cory Booker.

Lonegan was funny and gracious in his concession speech. “I said to myself, ‘Who wants that job anyway?'”

He thanked Governor Chris Christie for his ” bookend support” from his endorsement to robo calls.  Lonegan said he couldn’t expect anymore from Christie, “other than putting up lawn signs, and the thought of Christie running up and down the highway putting up lawn signs…”

Lonegan congratulated Booker and said , “May God be with him with the decisions he has to make.”

Lonegan said he has done his part in serving the country and is going back to the public sector.

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AP calls Special Senate Election for Booker

The Associated Press just called the NJ Special Election for U.S. Senate for Newark Mayor Cory Booker.

With 58% of the districts reporting, Newark Mayor Cory Booker is leading by 13%, 56%-43%.

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Statewide, it’s a 5 point race

With 30% of the districts reporting statewide, Cory Booker is leading Steve Lonegan 52% to 47%.

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Early Lead for Booker

Gloucester County is the first to report results in the Special U.S. Senate Election.  Booker 51.3% with 2751 votes, Lonegan 45.7% with 2450 votes.

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Three things that have to happen for Steve Lonegan to walk away with a win

Three things that have to happen for Steve Lonegan to walk away with a win (via NJ.com)

Polls in today’s U.S. Senate special election put Republican Steve Lonegan somewhere between 10 and 14 points behind Democrat Cory Booker as voters head out to cast their ballots. Booker, though his campaign has not been without its foibles, has succeeded…

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Long Morning Lines in GOP Areas

By Matt Rooney, SaveJersey.com

Don’t get too excited, Save Jerseyans.

It’s very, very early. The polls are open until 8:00 p.m. tonight. Did I mention it’s early?

That being said, I’ve heard anecdotal but consistent turnout reports this morning that bode well for a strong Lonegan performance in today’s #njsen special election.

Example? More than one person has told me about voting lines wrapping out-the-door in Oakland, New Jersey. The Bergen County community of just under 13,000 is home to approximately 1,000 more registered Republicans than Democrats and voted 55.8% for John McCain in 2008.

PolitickerNJ is reporting robust Booker turnout in Essex County but MoreMonmouthMusings cites a source who says it’s unusually quiet in Newark’s East Ward…

We’ve received similar reports from some other Republican-leaning towns around the state such as the affluent bedroom community of Moorestown in Burlington County.

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Conflicting voter turnout reports out of Newark

PolitickerNJ is reporting that voters are coming out strong for Cory Booker in Newark’s North Ward, South Orange and Montclair.

However, a Newark resident who asked not to be named told MMM this morning that he was only the 9th voter in Newark’s East Ward at about 11:30 AM.

“The Cory Booker campaign is lackluster,” the Newark resident said, “no sound trucks, no signs, no door knockers, nothing. It’s weird.”

While all Independent polls tracking the Special Senate election have qualified their reports with the caveat that turnout for an election on the third Wednesday in October is unpredictable, most pollsters tracking have weighted their results with the assumption that urban turnout for Booker would be consistent with the vote that turned out for President Obama last November.

If the early turnout in Newark’s East Ward is indicative of urban turnout throughout the state, Steve Lonegan could be a U.S. Senator tomorrow.

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Lonegan, in Middletown, Tangles With Pix11 Anchor

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West Ward killing marks Newark’s fifth homicide in last 72 hours

West Ward killing marks Newark’s fifth homicide in last 72 hours (via NJ.com)

Tony Kurdzuk/The Star-Ledger NEWARK — A shooting in Newark’s West Ward left one person dead shortly after midnight on Wednesday morning, the fifth person killed during a bloody 72 hours in the state’s largest city. Thomas Fennelly, Essex County’s…

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Pallone: End the shutdown so my wife can go back to work

Congressman Frank Pallone held a press conference at the EPA’s Edison Lab on Monday, ostensibly  to highlight how the “Republican” government shutdown is negatively impacted the middle class and is putting the environment at risk.

“It is now day 14 of the reckless Republican government shutdown that was orchestrated by extreme factions of the GOP to drive their agenda and drive us all into a national crisis. Shutting down the government hurts our economy and threatens middle-class jobs as shown right here at the Edison EPA Lab, where 100 furloughed workers have been forced to stop their work on New Jersey’s Superfund sites, among other critical environmental programs”

“I’m outraged that the GOP shutdown is putting the health and safety of New Jerseyans at risk. This is no way to run the government”

Pallone neglected to mention that his wife is the Deputy Associate Administrator of the EPA.

If Steve Lonegan manages to pull off an upset today and defeat Cory Booker in the Special U.S. Senate election to replace the late Frank Lautenberg, Pallone is a very likely candidate to challenge Lonegan for a full senate term next year.

For those moderate Republicans planning to write in someone besides Lonegan or to sit out the election, vote for Lonegan if only to open up the NJ CD 6 Congressional seat next year.

A vote for Lonegan sends Booker to Hollywood, after he finishes his term as Newark’s mayor, and makes Pallone a lobbyist.

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