Look who is sitting in the nose bleed seats

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Quinnipiac: In New Jersey, Obama leads Romney by 7%, Mendendez leads Kyrillos by 10%

Barack Obama leads Mitt Romney for President, 51%-44%, and Bob Mendendez leads Joe Kyrillos for U.S. Senate, 50%-40% among likely New Jersey voters, according to a Quinnipiac poll released this morning.

Quinnipiac says that this is their first likely voter survey and it can’t be compared to eariler polls of registered voters. The university surveyed 1471 likely voters between August 27 and September 2. They did not disclose the partisan breakdown of those responding to the survey which they say has a margin of errror of +/-2.6%.

The methodology of the Quinnipiac poll differs from that of the internal poll released yesterday by the Kyrillos campaign in that Quinnipiac randomly calls phone numbers, land lines and cells, and the respondants self identify as voters or likely voters by the way they answer the questions.   The Kyrillos pollster called a data base of known voters.  Kyrillos’s poll showed him trailing Menendez by 4% with 65 days to go before the election.

“Our poll shows we are within 4 points of Bob Menendez and gaining and the Quinnipiac University poll shows positive movement as well,” said Kyrillos Campaign Manager Chapin Fay.  “That’s because Joe Kyrillos has a plan to create jobs and opportunity for New Jersey families, while Bob Menendez is proposing more of the same- more debt, more spending and more job killing regulations.”

Menendez 2010 Communications Director Paul Brubaker still hasn’t called me back from yesterday when I asked him to comment on the Kyrillos poll.

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Internal Poll has Kyrillos within 4 points of Menendez

The Kyrillos for U.S. Senate campaign released an internal poll this afternoon that shows the GOP challenger within 4 points of the incumbent, Democrat Robert Menendez, with 65 days left to go before election day. 45% of those survey said they would vote for Menendez, 41% would vote for Kyrillos and 14% are undecided.

Of the Menendez voters, 76% said they were definitely voting for the Hudson County incumbent while 24% said they probably would.  71%  of Kyrillos voters were solid compared to 29% probable.

The poll, which was conducted by Magellan Strategies between August 30 and September 3rd, is a survey of 746 likely general election voters from New Jersey.  The margin of error is +/- 3.5% with 95% confidence.  The survey was weighted based upon past general election turnout demographics.

29% of the respondents were Republicans, 39% Democrats and 35% Independents.  27% of the respondents consider themselves conservative, 16% say they are liberal and 51% say they are moderate.

“Joe’s message of creating jobs for the middle class and working together with members of both sides of the aisle is resonating with the voters of New Jersey,” said Kyrillos Campaign Manager Chapin Fay. “It’s clear New Jerseyans want change and, if this surge continues, in two months they will have it when Joe Kyrillos is elected the next US Senator from New Jersey.”

“This marks another poll in which Menendez is yet again under 50%,” said Adam Geller of National Research, the Kyrillos campaign’s pollster.

Menendez 2012 communication director Paul Brubaker was not immediately available for comment.  This post will be updated if he calls back.

If they follow their usual pattern, Quinnipiac will likely release a Kyrillos-Menendez poll from the survey they took August 27-September 2 within the next few days.

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New Kyrillos Ad Hits The Airwaves

Kyrillos spokesperson Meaghan Cronin issued the following statement about the ad:

“Senator Kyrillos has a record of fighting for women, the environment and New Jersey families. He has always put the needs of the people ahead of political affiliation or ideology.  This stands in stark contrast to Senator Menendez who consistently puts politics ahead of the people resulting in record unemployment, skyrocketing debt and loss of opportunity.  Unlike Senator Menendez, Joe is committed to providing a spirit of bipartisanship to the United States Senate.”

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Menendez’s Tax Disclosure Raises Questions About Book Deal Income

U. S. Senator Bob Menendez made his last five years tax returns and U.S. Senate Financial Disclosure reports available to the media for inspection today at his campaign headquarters in New Brunswick. 

In 2011 Menendez’s reported wages of $156,250 from his U.S. Senate salary of $174,000.  His representatives explained that $17,750 of his salary went  into a deferred retirement account and was not reportable as wages.   He also reported $15,282 in taxable income from  a 5 unit residential rental property in Union City, $292 in interest and $50 in dividends for total taxable income of $171,872.  He deducted $6,436 in Employee Business Expenses.

The senator paid $36,961 in federal income taxes (21.4%) and $9,889 in NJ income taxes (5.2%) in 2011.

As a tenant in his North Bergen home, Menendez does not pay property taxes.  However he did pay $9,669 in property taxes on the Union City investment property he purchased for $47,500 in the 1970’s.

According to Menendez’s 2010 and 2009 U.S. Senate Financial Disclosure Reports he had an agreement with New American Library (NAL), a division of Penguin Group (USA) wherein he would receive a $50,000 advance of royalties to be split with his co-author, Peter Eisner,  for their book, Growing American Roots: Why Our Nation Will Thrive as Our Largest Minority Flourishes.  $25,000 was to be paid upon signing the agreement with NAL in January 2009 and $25,000 upon delivery of the manuscript for the book that was published in October of 2009.

Menendez’s agreement with Eisner, who’s name did not appear as a co-author on the book cover or title page, was that as ghost writer he would receive the first $50,000.  Menendez would receive the second $50,000 and that the two would split future royalties which would range from 7.5% to 12.5% of sales on a 50-50 basis.

No income from the book was reported on Menendez’s 2011, 2010 or 2009 tax returns.

“Bob didn’t make a dime on the book, that’s what he told me,” said campaign advisor Brad Lawrence.

Menendez 2012 Communications Director Paul Brubaker said that Eisner received the first $50,000 and that sales of the book, which is selling now on Amazon for $1.38 (hardcover), were insufficient for additional royalties to be paid.

Brubaker and Lawrence did not know if Menendez paid Eisner after receiving payment from NAL, which would have triggered a tax reporting requirement, or if NAL paid Eisner directly in which case there would have been no tax reporting necessary for the senator.

A call to Penguin Group (USA) for clarification has not been returned.

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Kyrillos shows press his tax returns

New Jersey’s GOP nominee for U.S. Senate and his wife earned $437,500 in 2011, according to tax returns made available to the press by the Kyrillos for Senate campaign this afternoon.

Joe and Susan Kyrillos paid $106,564 in federal income taxes and $24,299 in NJ State income taxes on the $289,728 portion of their income that was taxable.  Property taxes on their Middletown home are almost $20,000.

The couple jointly reported wages of $133,738.  $49,000 of those wages are the senator’s legislative salary.  The senator earned gross revenue of $150,000 and a net profit of $109,299 from his commercial real estate business.  Mrs. Kyrillos earned gross revenues of $255,364 and a net profit of $197,532 from her insurance consulting business.

The couple did not disclose their W-2s or 1099s which would have revealed the source of their incomes.

In 2010 they earned gross income of $365,509, $214,072 of it taxable.  They paid $95,811 in state and federal income taxes that year.  In 2009 their gross income was $381,052, $239,582 taxable.  Their state and federal income tax bill was $177,820 in 09.

The Kyrillos campaign announced that the senator would make three years tax returns available yesterday afternoon.  A few hours later, U.S. Senator Bob Menendez, the Democratic incumbent, announced that he would disclose five years of returns next week.  Menendez has never before released tax returns in his six years in the U.S. Senate.

“I congratulate Senator Menendez for following Senator Kyrillos’ lead and agreeing to release more than one tax return,” said Kyrillos Campaign Manager Chapin Fay. “It’s clear had Senator Kyrillos not led this charge, Senator Menendez would have continued to keep New Jerseyans in the dark. Joe will bring this same agenda of good government and transparency to the United States Senate and bring an end to backroom deal-making and special interest influence.”

According to The Star Ledger, the Menendez campaign issued the following statement regarding the Kyrillos returns:

“Joe Kyrillos’s personal finances raise more questions than his tax returns can answer. Kyrillos makes a substantial income in addition to what he is paid as a public official, and it is incumbent upon him to disclose the nature of the work he does at Newport Capital, Kyrillos Real Estate and any other outside enterprises in which he is involved,” Menendez spokesman Michael Soliman said in the statement. “Without knowing the nature of Joe Kyrillos’ reported outside income, New Jerseyans are left with no assurances that this income is entirely unrelated to his public duties.”

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Poltical Animals and other musings

I didn’t make the Highlands council meeting last night as I was dining in Princeton with Poltical Animals star Sigourney Weaver.

Not really.  Weaver was leaving the Blue Point Grill as my party was entering.  And we had the same waitress.  Still it was cool.  Other than politicians and pundits this was my closest celebrity encounter since Bette Midler walked in on me in a Fort Lauderdale Airport mens room.

Political Animals is a fun watch.

Weaver plays a former first lady, Elaine Barrish, who ran for president, lost the Democratic primary, divorced her philandering husband and became Secretary of State for the president who beat her in the primary.  In the most recent episode, Barrish tells the president that she is going to run against him again, but not before she councils him to do something more heroic than killing Bin Laden and her ex-husband ex-president punches out the vice president in the oval office.

While all of that high drama is going on, Barrish’s “bad son,” a gay piano player who was outed while growing up in the White House, is in the hospital recovering from a drug overdose and her “good son” is joining the mile high club with a reporter who buried the overdose story while the good son’s fiancee is smoking pot with Barrish’s mother.

Must see TV.

I heard the Highlands council did not vote to put the flood mitigation plan on the November ballot as a non-binding referendum and that Councilman Chris Francy did not deny that he kept the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers off his property when they wanted to study an alternate plan of flood mitigation.  When asked about that during the public portion of the meeting, I’m told that Francy said, “that article on the Internet was not really an article, but a blogger’s opinion.”

Whatever.  They’ve done the right thing so far.  I hope the governing body doesn’t drop the issue now.

The political animals in the NJ GOP were crazier today than the TV show.

The Bergen Record ran a piece by their Washington Correspondent Herb Jackson, GOP Senate candidate Joe Kyrillos open to tax hikes.

By early afternoon, Kyrillos issued a press release stating that he doesn’t favor raising taxes.  He wants to lower tax rates and close loopholes.

12th District GOP congressional candidate Eric Beck, the guy running against Rush Holt, issued two press releases.  The first one was announcing that he disagrees with Kyrillos on taxes.  The second one was announcing that Huffington Post  and Politickernj picked up the first one.  Beck’s campaign manager, Chris Pordon, who got his start in politics working for Kryillos, has been breaking his back trying to get free media for Beck.  He got some today, including this mention on MMM for which he’s been dogging me.

Anna Little has not issued a press release throwing Kyrillos under the bus.   Michele Bachman endorsed Little and the Bayshore Tea Party is having a bake sale fundraiser for her. Really.  What’s next, a car wash? No bikinis. Please.

In Bergen County, Republican County Executive Kathleen Donovan is suing the Republican controlled Freeholder Board to prevent them from dissolving the Bergen County Police.

Kyrillos announced that he will release three years of tax returns at a press conference tomorrow.  Senator Bob Menendez responded that he will release five years of tax returns at a press conference next week.

Not a bad day for the Democrats given all the Republican self inflicted wounds.

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Cowardly Senator Bob Menendez rejects Kyrillos’ debate challenge

State Senator Joe Kyrillos sent a staffer to hand deliver a debate challenge to U.S. Senator Bob Menendez this morning.  Menendez wouldn’t take the Kyrillos’ letter.

Here is the text of the letter:

Dear Senator Menendez:

One of us will be the next United States Senator from New Jersey. We will be tasked with finding a solution to the rising unemployment and exploding deficits and debt that are wrecking havoc on our country. The ongoing fiscal crisis has largely been caused by Washington’s inability to create certainty for the economy and the demands of powerful special interests and unions and the politicians who do their bidding. We will have to make tough choices to return America to prosperity and stability. I am willing to make these tough choices. New Jerseyans would benefit from knowing your position.

New Jeseryans need to know our positions on these important issues before, not after, the election. That’s why I have released a comprehensive jobs plan. When you publish press statements you carefully avoid such specifics. And by drastically limiting your exposure to the press and the public, you are avoiding being pinned down in live questioning. But these are new times. New Jerseyans want leaders, not politicians. Difficult times require a leader who is able to get results.

We owe New Jerseyans a serious conversation about fixing our country, so I hope you will join me in a series of 5 debates across the Garden State that cover separate topics. I suggest a debate on each of these topics – jobs and the economy, taxes, spending, education and government ethics. We must also ensure maximum viewership of our debates so that the voters can make an informed decision come November.

I am committed to working with you to ensure that all New Jerseyans know where we stand on the issues that matter most to them. I await your call at my campaign headquarters at (732) 957-1580. I look forward to hearing from you and I look forward to vigorous debates of these critical issues.

Sincerely,

Senator Joe Kyrillos

It would be one thing if the junior U.S. Senator was a popular incumbent not wanting to give his opponent exposure, but despite 6 years in the Senate and 7 terms in Congress, 60% of New Jersey voters still do not know who Menendez is.   Obviously, Menendez is hoping to continue to go unnoticed in November and ride back to Washington on Barack Obama’s coattails.

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An Open Letter to Senator Bob Menendez

From Joe Kyrillos

Americans are hurting.  Unemployment is rising. We need leaders who care about the challenges we face as a country, and not about winning their next election. That’s why I was troubled to read about your objection to a resolution that I supported, which would allow voters to decide whether our state judges should pay the same amount as other state employees toward their health and pension benefits.  This resolution would save our State a lot of money that could go towards other worthwhile investments like improving education and protecting our environment. New Jerseryans deserve an explanation as to why you oppose such a commonsense reform.  On behalf of all of them I will ask you, Why?  We await your response.

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Menendez complains about constitutional amendment to make judges pay their fair share

Politics should trump good public policy and the will of the people, in the mind of U.S. Senator Bob Menendez.

The Auditor is reporting that New Jersey’s junior Senator called Democratic State Senators Steve Sweeney and Ray Lesniak to complain about the fact that they’re allowing voters to decide on the constitutional amendment that, if passed, will require New Jersey’s privileged Judges to abide by the same pension and benefit rules as all other state employees.

Menendez wasn’t complaining about the merits of the legislation.  He was complaining that the presence of the constitutional amendment on the ballot this fall would get Governor Chris Christie out on the campaign trail supporting the amendment….and also supporting State Senator Joe Kyrillos in Joe’s quest to unseat Menendez.

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