What can we learn from Booker-Lonegan primaries?

What can we learn from Booker-Lonegan primaries? (via NJ.com)

By Frederick Kaimann/The Star-Ledger With the general election for the open U.S. Senate seat tomorrow, what clues do Cory Booker and Steve Lonegan’s primary wins reveal for the Wednesday’s outcome? Both won their primaries handily. Lonegan, the former…

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Daily Caller Tries To Tilt A Second NJ Senate Election

The conservative website that broke the “news” of Senator Bob Menendez cavorting with underage Dominican prostitutes on the eve of last year’s election between the Democratic U.S Senator and State Senator Joe Kyrillos published a story this morning alleging that Cory Booker does not live in Newark.

Accompanied by a video by Highway 61 Entertainment, a firm that also produced a documentary that makes the case that President Obama’s real father was socialist Franklin Marshal Davis, not Barack Obama, Sr., today’s story alleges that Booker lives in New York and that his Newark properties house the mayor’s security detail from the Newark PD.

Last year’s story about Menendez was widely debunked as poorly sourced, relying on anonymous videos of the Dominican escorts who later recanted.  The story did not get any legs until after the election which was held seven days after Superstorm Sandy hit New Jersey.

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Monmouth Poll: Booker’s Lead Shrinks To 10%

It’s two days before New Jersey elects a U.S. Senator to replace the late Frank Lautenberg in Washington and Newark Mayor Cory Booker’s lead over former Bogota Mayor Steve Lonegan has shrunk to 10%, according to a poll released by Monmouth University this morning.  Democrat Booker led Republican Lonegan by 13% two weeks ago and by 26% in August.

Polling Director Patrick Murray surveyed 1,393 likely voters who have voted in at least two of the last four general elections between Thursday and Saturday of last week.   The poll has a margin of error of +/- 2.6%.

The poll results are weighted with the assumptions that Democrats will be 38% of the turnout, Independents 34% and Republicans 28%. Monmouth expects that women will be 52% of the turnout.  The expected racial demographic of voters is 75% White, 12% Black, 8% Hispanic and 5% Asian/Other.

Democrats favor Booker by a margin of 90%-6%.  Independents favor Lonegan, 48%-43% with 6% undecided.  Republicans favor Lonegan 86%-11%.

55% of respondents said that Booker’s views on issues are generally in line with most of New Jerseyans.  30% said Booker is out of step with most voters and 15% are not sure. 48% said Booker is more interested in being on the national stage than he is in serving the people of New Jersey.  This perception accounts for Booker’s weakened support, according to Murray.

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Where Cory Booker and Steve Lonegan stand on the issues

Where Cory Booker and Steve Lonegan stand on the issues (via NJ.com)

Democrat Cory Booker and Republican Steve Lonegan are about as far apart ideologically as you can get. Here’s where they stand on the major issues, drawn from their own words. The economy Booker: Supports raising the minimum wage to $10.10 and investing…

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Steve Lonegan and Sarah Palin rev up conservatives at speedway rally

Steve Lonegan and Sarah Palin rev up conservatives at speedway rally (via NJ.com)

By Susan K. Livio and Seth Augenstein Sarah Palin rode the Tea Party Express tour bus into Ocean County today to lend her political star power to Republican Steve Lonegan’s U.S. Senate campaign, urging the roughly 2,000 supporters to muster up “their…

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Lonegan Fires Shaftan

GOP nominee Steve Lonegan for U.S. Senate fired his long time strategist and pollster, Rick Shaftan, tonight over comments Shaftan made to Talking Points Memo.

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Deplorable Conduct From The Lonegan Campaign

Rick Shaftan

UPDATE:  LONEGAN FIRES SHAFTAN

GOP nominee for U.S. Senate Steve Lonegan’s chief strategist, pollster and spokesman, Rick Shaftan gave a profanity laced interview to Talking Points Memo this afternoon wherein he suggested that New Jersey voters would elect Lonegan to the Senate next Wednesday over Newark Mayor Cory Booker because of Booker’s “odd” way of relating to LynsieLee, the Portland, Oregon stripper with whom Booker interacts on twitter.

Shaftan implied that Booker is gay because he doesn’t relate to LyniseLee like a drunken frat boy might, with graphic descriptions of what he would like to do to her breasts.  And he thinks that is why New Jersey will elect Lonegan.

In a disingenuous comment to The Star Ledger,  Lonegan’s press contact, Will Gattenby , said Shaftan was not speaking for the campaign, yet attacked the TMP reporter published Shaftan’s comments.

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Qarmout Endorses Lonegan

By Bader George Qarmout

This Wednesday, the good people of New Jersey will have an opportunity to vote in a special election for a U.S. Senator to fill the vacancy of the late Sen. Frank Lautenberg.  New Jersey has a choice between 2 mayors, and that is about all they have in common. The Democrat’s candidate is the charismatic mayor of Newark and the darling of Hollywood. The Republicans have placed their confidence in Steve Lonegan, the former three time mayor of Bogota and Former state director of the conservative advocacy group, Americans for Prosperity.

 As a former candidate for the same office in the last campaign cycle, I say with confidence that Steve Lonegan is currently the best choice for U.S. Senate. I know Steve Lonegan and I am confident that he will represent our conservative principles in Washington. If you believe that this country should be energy independent, If you believe that we need to repeal and replace Obamacare, lower the corporate tax rate in order to create jobs, and if you believe that we need to cut spending and balance our budget, then Steve Lonegan is the only choice for U.S. Senate this Wednesday the 16^th. Please mark your calendar and cell phone reminder to vote in this special election on Wednesday. New Jersey has a real chance of electing a conservative Republican for the U.S. Senate for the first time in forty years. The Democrats have represented New Jersey in the Senate for 4 decades; I say it is time to give the Republicans a chance. I welcome our Democrat and Independent friends in joining us to elect a conservative who will protect liberty and defend the Constitution, so we may give a great and prosperous nation to our children and grandchildren.

See you at the poll this Wednesday the 16^th.

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Too Many Empty Suits

By Matt Rooney, SaveJersey.com

If you watched last night’s final #njsen debate, Save Jerseyans, then you heard Cory Booker (D-Twitter) use the word “tea party” more often than his opponent’s name.

Booker is a lot of things but “stupid” isn’t one of them. He came to play this time after flubbing the first debate. and reading plenty of polls which suggest that both the Tea Party and the ongoing federal shutdown are losers for Steve Lonegan. His buddy (and occasional bully) Barack Obama shared a similar experience in 2012. Plenty of smart people think Booker carried the day (and probably the election along with it). And they might be right.

What stuck in my crawl was Booker’s dogged insistence that people like Steve Lonegan are the problem in Washington.

It’s a crock, folks.

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Lonegan to House Republicans: Wait For My Victory, Obama Will Fold

GOP nominee for U.S. Senate Steve Lonegan today urged Republicans in the House of Representatives not to give into President Barack Obama’s demands for re-opening the government and raising the federal debt ceiling, declaring, “When I win, Obama will fold.”

“Republicans need to hold firm because seven days from today when Bob Menendez escorts me down the Senate aisle for my swearing in, the message about what our party should do will be clear for all,” Lonegan maintained.

“I have come as far as I have in this campaign by ignoring the advice from all the pollsters and consultants who have told me to change what I think and change who I am,” Lonegan added. “New Jerseyans are looking for a leader who fights for working taxpayers, not a Hollywood wannabe like Cory Booker who will rubber stamp the President’s far-left wing agenda.”

Lonegan says his internal polling shows a neck-and-neck race in the U.S. Senate contest and that all the momentum is in his favor. “My victory in this election on Wednesday will send a message to Barack Obama, Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi that the American people want an end to Obamacare and the rest of the President’s radical agenda.”

The former three-term Bogota mayor called on Republicans to stop listening to the same consultants and pollsters who blew the 2012 election and who are telling the GOP to fold and instead stand firm for seven more days.

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