Members of the Monmouth GOP nominating committee are on their way to the Molly Pitcher, saying to themselves and each other, “Anna Little? I’m really going to vote to nominate Anna Little?”
The head office has determined that it is better to give Anna Little the party line in the primary for the 6th congressional district nomination than to take the chance that she will find a way to get 1000 qualified signatures to get herself an off the line spot on the primary ballot for U.S. Senate against Joe Kyrillos.
Barring a come to Yahweh moment, that is what is going to happen this morning.
With the strong support of the County Chairman, Senator Sam Thompson, Anna Little scored a 27-3 victory over newcomer Ernesto Cullari last night with the Middlesex County GOP screening committee .
According to the Middlesex GOP rules, Little will be the recommended candidate at the March 24th convention, by virture of a screening victory of over 2/3.
Charles Measley, Cullari’s campaign coordinator, said that Thompson implored the screening committee members to vote for Little. Thompson is concerned that Little will go back to challenging State Senator Joe Kyrillos in the U.S. Senate race if she does not get the party endorsement for Congress, according to Measley’s account of a conversation he had with the chairman.
The GOP endorsement process moves to Monmouth County tomorrow when the nominating committee will award the party line on the ballot for the June primary. The committee is comprised of all municipal chairs, current and former elected officials on the county and state levels, and former county chairs.
Key supporters of Anna Little’s 2010 congressional run are lining up behind Ernesto Cullari in his bid to win the GOP nomination for the 6th district seat occupied by Congressman Frank Pallone.
Asbury Park businessman Henry Vaccarro, Sr, a member of Little’s 2010 Finance Committee, endorsed Cullari this afternoon. Peter Carroll, the Middlesex County coordinator of Little’s 2010 effort has pledged to play the same role for Cullari should there be a primary. Charles Measley, a 60 hour per week volunteer for Little in 2010 is coordinating Cullari’s current effort.
Bayshore Tea Party Group co-founder Barabara Gonzalez told MMM that she was looking forward to interviewing Cullari when asked for comment on the potential race.
Little’s campaign manager, Larry Cirignano, was not available for comment.
Despite the lack of a formal announcement withdrawing from the U.S. Senate race and entering the CD-6 race, Little is expected before the Middlesex GOP screening committee this evening to ask for their CD-6 endorsement.
Cullari will also be seeking the Middlesex screening committee’s endorsement tonight.
Anna Little is not a lock for the Monmouth or Middlesex county Republican endorsements to take on Congressman Frank Pallone in the 6th district.
The news that Little will not challenge State Senator Joe Kyrillos for the GOP U.S. Senate nomination was met by party regulars and leaders with mild relief, followed by angst at the thought of her being on ticket in the coming campaign.
Party leaders are being cautious not to provoke Little back into the Senate race, an unlikely event as she has been uable to collect sufficient petition signatures for the Senate bid, but they would not be disappointed to see her sit this one out all together.
If she runs for Congress, Little has to be considered the front runner for the party endorsements. Yet many of the Monmouth and Middlesex County screening committee are taking a look at Enresto Cullari, the virtually unknown candidate who announced last week.
Seeing no candidates to challenge Pallone, Cullari decided to run last Wednesday and announced his candidacy on Friday as the news of Little’s switch from the Senate race to the Congressional race started to spread throughout the Monmouth and Middlesex GOP.
Cullari is positioning himself as the more disciplined and better financed choice to support Joe Kyrillos and the County slates.
In an email to screening committee members to be followed by mailer, Cullari said:
I believe that I can raise more money, launch a more disciplined offensive against Pallone, bring more positive attention to the Republican ticket and best help Senator Kyrillos carry on Governor Christie’s work for the state of New Jersey.
He attached this introduction letter touting his accomplishments, vision and unique ethnicity…he’s Filipino, Irish, Ecudorian and Africa…which he says poses a threat to the “grossly false assertions” that the Republican Party is “white and homogenous.”
The Middlesex GOP screening committee meets tonight to make its recommendation to the convention which will endorse a candidate on March 24th.
The Monmouth GOP nominating committee meets to award its endorsement on Friday morning, March 16.
For those who doubt the veracity of our sources here at MMM, and are waiting for an announcement from Anna Little that she is dropping out of the U.S. Senate race, consider that Little was working the room at State Senator Joe Kyrillos’s fundraiser in Holmdel tonight.
Expect an announcement from the former Highlands Mayor, no later than Wednesday, that she will seek the nomination to once again challenge Frank Pallone in the 6th Congressional District. The MiddlesexCounty GOP screening committee meets on Wednesday night. Little has confirmed to Middlesex GOP officials that she will be there seeking the 6th district nod.
Ernesto Cullari has also been invited to the Middlesex County screening.
The Monmouth County GOP primary line will be awarded by the nominating committee on Friday morning. The Middlesex County GOP primary line will be awarded at a convention on Saturday March 24.
Republican Primary in NJ-CD 6 between Anna Little and Ernesto Cullari looks likely
Anna Little, the former Monmouth County Freeholder and Mayor Highlands, will not be a candidate for the GOP nomination for U.S. Senate. She has started to gather petition signatures for the 6th congressional district nomination. An announcement is planned for early next week.
Little was the GOP nominee against Congressman Frank Pallone in the 6th in 2010.
When asked to confirm Little’s switch from the Senate race to the House race, campaign manager Larry Cirignamo said, “I don’t know.”
Little has been reaching out to county chairs this week, who are overwhelmingly supporting State Senator Joe Kyrillos for the U.S. Senate nomination. She cancelled a scheduled appearance for Republican Senate candidates with the New Jersey Tea Party Caucus.
Should Little decide to seek a rematch against Pallone, she will first have to get past a primary with Asbury Park resident Ernesto Cullari.
Cullari is a songwriter, producer and coach for young acting talent. His clients have performed for Disney and Nickelodeon. He is also an Orthopedic Consultant working in operating rooms installing dynamic splints. Cullari writes the weekly Justified Right column in The triCityNews.
Cullari told MMM that he decided to run for Congress on Wednesday of this week. He will pursue the nomination regardless of Little or anyone else entering the race. He will seek the support of the Monmouth and Middlesex County Republican organizations and compete in the primary.
The Monmouth County GOP is holding its candidate selection committee meeting on Friday morning March 16th. Middlesex County GOP is holding a convention on Saturday March 24th.
Former Highlands Mayor Anna Little has filed her federal paper work registering as a candidate for United States Senate.
Friends of Anna Little was designated as principle campaign committee on the FEC Form 1 STATEMENT OF ORGANIZATION that was signed by campaign treasurer Brett Rappaport on January 31, 2012 and received by the Secretary of the Senate on February 8, 2012.
The committee has established bank accounts at Valley National Bank in Highlands, NJ and First Virginia Community Bank in Fairfax, VA.
Senator Joe Kyrillos addresses the Monmouth County Lincoln Day dinner. Photo Credit: Rhoda Chodosh
The Abraham Lincoln impersonator played second fiddle to U.S. Senate candidate Joe Kyrillos at the Monmouth County Lincoln Day Dinner last night in Atlantic Highlands.
The annual dinner is named for Lincoln. Lt. Governor Kim Guadagno was the keynote speaker. The night belonged to Kyrillos. The name of Monmouth County’s favorite son who is challenging Bob Menendez for one of New Jersey’s seats in the United States Senate was stuck on most lapels and his photograph was prominently projected on the wall behind the stage.
The Republican faithful who had not already signed Kyrillos’ nominating petitions at his campaign kickoff were lining up to do so.
The enthusiasm for Kyrillos, who is on the verge of exceeding the required 1000 signatures required to get on the primary ballot stood in stark contrast to the reception that his potential primary opponent, former Highlands Mayor Anna Little, received while working the Lincoln Day crowd.
Working the very same room where she defiantly refused to concede defeat in 2010, but rather declared a 2012 rematch against Congressman Frank Pallone, Little and her manager, Larry Cirigano, struggled to get signatures on her U.S. Senate nominating petition. Little resorted to erroneously telling polite Kyrillos supporters that it was OK to sign more than one nominating petition for the same race.
Any signatures that appear on more than one nominating petition will be invalidated should the petitions be challenged.
Little received polite applause during the ritual roll call acknowledgement of present and former elected officials. Kyrillos received a standing ovation during his introduction of Guadagno.
With all the attention and excitement being paid to Joe Kyrillo’s U.S. Senate candidacy and a new map that most think makes Frank Pallone even harder to beat, there is little if any talk about a GOP candidate in the 6th Congressional District.
So let’s throw some names out there and have then have a poll. I start with names that come to mind. Please add names in the comments. Over the weekend I’ll create a poll.
Former Highlands Mayor Anna Little
Selika Josiah Gore, Marlboro
Matawan Councilwoman Toni Marie Angelini
Matawan Councilman Tom Fitzsimmons
Assemblywoman Amy Handlin
Atlantic Highlands Councilman Peter Doyle
Keyport Mayor Bob McLeod
Former Middletown Committeeman Tom Wilkens
Middletown Mayor Tony Fiore
Hazlet Committeeman Scott Aagre
James Hogan of Long Branch
Oceanport Councilman Joe Irace
Former Freeholder Bill Barham
Former Assemblyman, triCityNews Publisher Dan Jacobson
Despite telling multiple press outlets that she was running and despite professionally produced fundraising appeals for a campaign for U.S. Senate, Anna Little has not decided whether of not she will challenge Joe Kyrillos for the GOP nomination to unseat Robert Menendez.
Little’s manager, Larry Cirignano, told The Asbury Park Press, “She’s thinking about it. She wants to wait and see what the people think –if they want a choice or are they satisfied with the field. It’s (a matter) of who is the best person to beat Menendez.”
Highlands GOP Municipal Chairwoman Carol Bucco has already weighed in. Bucco and her husband Tony, long time Little supporters, were in attendance at Kyrillo’s campaign kickoff event at the Lincroft Inn in Middletown yesterday. Sources tell MMM that Bucco declined to sign Little’s nominating petition.
The filing deadline is April 2.