Monmouth Poll: New Jersey residents expect Christie to run for POTUS

Christie beats Clinton or Cuomo in New Jersey

7 of 10 New Jersey residents expect that Governor Chris Christie will run for president and he would take the state’s 14 electoral college votes against former Secretary of State Hilary Clinton or New York Governor Andrew Cuomo if the presidential election were today, according to a Monmouth University/Asbury Park Press Poll released this morning.

A Republican has not won New Jersey in a presidential election since George H.W. Bush was elected in 1988.

Christie is favored by 46% of registered voters, including 19% of Democrats and 51% of Independents, against Clinton who is favored by43%.   3% prefer another candidate and 8% are undecided.  Against Cuomo, Christie’s margin widens to 19% of NJ registered voters, 52% -33%.

The Monmouth University Polling Institute surveyed 802 adult New Jersey residents from December 4 to  8.  Yesterday, Monmouth released a narrative of the same survey which indicated that 65% of New Jersey resident approved of the job that Christie is doing.

Posted: December 11th, 2013 | Author: Art Gallagher | Filed under: 2016 Presidential Politics, Andrew Cuomo, Chris Christie, Hillary Clinton, Monmouth University Poll | Tags: Andrew Cuomo, Chris Christie, Hillary Clinton, Monmouth University Poll, Patrick Murray | 1 Comment »

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Ellis Island Will Host Christie’s Inaugural Celebration

Historic Ellis Island will be the site of Governor Chris Christie’s second Inaugural Celebration, according to an announcement from the Inaugural Committee.

photo by Art Gallagher. click for larger view

Woodbridge, NJ – Governor Christie’s 2014 Inaugural Committee today announced that the Grand Hall at historic Ellis Island in Jersey City will be the host venue for the Celebration of the Inauguration of Governor Chris Christie and Lt. Governor Kim Guadagno.

The Inaugural Celebration will take place the evening of January 21, 2014, following the traditions of a morning Inaugural service and formal noon Swearing-In Ceremony for the Governor and Lt. Governor. More details on the full schedule of Inauguration Day activities will be announced in the coming days.

In addition, www.Inaugural2014.org has been established as the Inaugural Committee’s website. The site now allows for contributions to be made and will be updated to provide the public the latest information on all Inauguration Day activities, including ticketing information for the evening reception. Space will be limited and tickets are expected to sell out quickly.

New Jersey law limits all contributions to the Inaugural Committee to $500. All proceeds from the event will go to charity.

Today, Ellis Island stands as a symbol of the hope, freedom, and promise of opportunity afforded by our state and our nation and continues to be a powerful connection for millions of Americans to their family history. Estimates suggest that nearly half of all Americans can trace their lineage to at least one ancestor who was one of the more than 12 million individuals who passed through Ellis Island during its operation as a federal immigration station. Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty are part of the Statue of Liberty National Monument shared by New Jersey and New York.

 

The symbolism of Ellis Island for the celebration is important.  For 2016, the message is a reminder that the governor won the Hispanic vote in his landslide reelection. It’s a reminder that President Obama has not gotten anything done on immigration reform, and that Christie is the guy who gets thing done.

Happening just two weeks before the Super Bowl which will be played in the Meadowlands, the choice of Ellis Island for what will undoubtedly be a high profile media event, will add to the New Jersey/New York bragging rights debate.

Is Ellis Island in New York or New Jersey?  Both.  Under a 1998 U.S. Supreme Court decision, the original three acre site belongs to New York, but the surrounding 24 acres that was land-filled belongs to New Jersey.  Some structures on the island are in both States.

The price to attend the party is also symbolic.  At $500 per pop, it is not likely that the tired, poor and huddled masses will be attending.

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Forget trying to beat Booker, the NJ GOP should plan for the next gubernatorial election

photo via facebook

U.S. Senator Cory Booker is going to be elected to his own full term next November.

None of the Republicans said to be considering a challenge to Booker can beat him.

It’s not that Booker is invincible, as was widely thought prior to the Special Senate Election last October.  He is beatable.  Steve Lonegan exposed the fallacies of the Booker myth and Patrick Murray documented that Booker’s support is shallow.   Had Washington Republicans not followed Senator Ted Cruz’s lead to shut down the government in October and had State Comptroller Matt Boxer released his audit of Newark’s City Government which exposed millions of wasted taxpayer money and management practices that encourage fraud in September instead of this week, Lonegan might have pulled off the upset that Booker deserved.

There’s nothing wrong with 4 of the 5 Republicans reported to be looking to challenge Booker.  Assembly Minority Leader Jon Bramnick, Senator Minority Leader Tom Kean JR, Senator Mike Doherty or Assemblyman Jay Webber would all serve New Jersey well in the U.S. Senate.

That Darryl Isherwood included Assemblyman Chris Brown is his list of 5 Republican of potential candidates to challenge Booker is more of a reflection of Isherwood’s sense of humor than it is of Brown’s viability as a candidate for any office in the future.  After blaming his Assembly running mate John Amodeo’s 39 vote loss on Governor Christie, Brown will be lottery winner lucky if he is even re-nominated for his Assembly seat in 2015.  “What will Brown do after politics?” MMM asked a senior Republican strategist after the gaffe.  “We’ll find out soon,” the strategist said with a laugh.

(Correction:  As a commenter pointed out, Isherwood was referring to a different Assemblyman Chris Brown (the LD 8 Brown) than the one who blamed Christie for his running mate’s loss.  My mistake makes my overall point.  MMM readers are more informed than the average voter.  How many knew there was even one Chris Brown in the Assembly prior to the LD 2 Brown’s gaffe?  There isn’t a member of the legislature with the statewide name ID to compete with Booker~ Art)

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Christie-Kean Rift Was Over Differing Strategies

Governor Chris Christie’s post-election attempt to replace Senate Minority Leader Tom Kean, Jr with Senator Kevin O’Toole was not a matter of Christie doing Senate President Steve Sweeney’s bidding, as has been widely perceived, but the culmination of a months long battle over differing strategies over how to wage the legislative campaign.

That Christie was unable to persuade Senate Republicans to dump Kean as their leader in favor of O’Toole was viewed by the media and political observers as a shocking act of defiance of the governor by the caucus viewed as obedient followers.  But insiders say the united Republican front portrayed to the public masked an ongoing dispute between Kean’s and Christie’s political teams that resulted in Christie’s landslide reelection yielding no pick up of seats in the Senate.

Early on in the campaign, the Christie campaign concluded winning a majority in the State Senate, picking up 5 seats, was unlikely given the legislative map and the resources that South Jersey Democrats and their Independent Expenditure supporters were known to be deploying to defend their turf.  Team Christie devised a strategy of winning a “functional majority,” by winning three Senate seats…District 14 (Middlesex and Mercer Counties)  where former Senator Peter Inverso came out of retirement in an attempt to unseat Democrat Linda Greenstein, District 18 (Middlesex County), gubernatorial candidate Barbara Buono’s district where East Brunswick Mayor David Stahl switched parties to run as a Republican against Assemblyman Peter Barnes, and District 38 (Bergen County) where businessman/educator Fernando Alonso was out to defeat Democratic Senator Bob Gordon…and courting policy friendly Democrats…Senators Brian Stack and Sandra Cunningham of Hudson County…to deliver the 20th and 21st votes for a majority when needed during Christie’s second term.

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The Auditor: Christie to help Lonegan retire campaign debt, Buono loses Metuchen and more

The Auditor: Christie to help Lonegan retire campaign debt, Buono loses Metuchen and more (via NJ.com)

Gov. Chris Christie isn’t done helping Steve Lonegan, the former Republican U.S. Senate candidate. The Auditor is told that Christie — who endorsed Lonegan, his former rival, and held one fundraiser for him during his unsuccessful campaign against…

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Obama predicts US will see woman president ‘very soon’

Obama predicts US will see woman president ‘very soon’ (via AFP)

A woman in the White House? President Barack Obama says that will happen “very soon,” according to remarks released Friday. “We have some amazing female [public] servants all across the country and there is no doubt that sometime very soon, we’re going…

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Chris Christie holds early lead for 2016 Republican presidential nod, new poll shows

Chris Christie holds early lead for 2016 Republican presidential nod, new poll shows (via NJ.com)

TRENTON — With a little less than three years to go before Election Day, Gov. Chris Christie is suddenly the early frontrunner for the Republican nomination for president in 2016, according to a new national poll. The CNN/ORC International survey,…

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Chris Christie will let insurance companies decide whether to extend 800,000 policies

Chris Christie will let insurance companies decide whether to extend 800,000 policies (via NJ.com)

Gov. Chris Christie will allow insurance companies in New Jersey to decide whether to reinstate the insurance policies of 800,000 people who received recent letters saying they would be canceled because they did not meet the standards of the Affordable…

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Hornik For Governor?

Marlboro Mayor Jonathan Hornik. Photo via facebook.

When the news broke that Marlboro Mayor Jonathan Hornik was eyeing a run for governor,  he asked for MoreMonmouthMusings’ endorsement.

So here goes: MoreMonmouthMusings hereby endorses Mayor Jonathan Hornik for the Democratic nomination for governor in the next gubernatorial election, whenever that is.

Much of the political news out of the League of Municipalities Convention in Atlantic City last week centered around the developing race between State Senate President Steve Sweeney and Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop. Almost as an afterthought, PolitickerNJ reported, yesterday, that Hornik wanted his name added to the gubernatorial mix.

PolitickerNJ.com spied veteran Marlboro Mayor Jon Hornik at the cocktail  parties and meet-and-greets in Atlantic City last week and as Democrats prepare  for Senate President Steve Sweeney versus Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop, Hornik  said he wanted to add his own name to the gubernatorial sweepstakes.

“I would definitely not rule out running in 2017 or before,” said Hornik. “I  love being mayor of Marlboro, and I am running again in two years, but I think  we have a story to tell.”

Hornik won re-election in 2011 with nearly 70% of the vote.

This year, Incumbent Republican Gov. Chris Christie won 75% of the vote in  Marlboro while Hornik’s Democrats went 3-0 in local contests.

Just weeks from Governor Chris Christie’s reelection, the race for the next Democratic gubernatorial nomination has already started because Christie’s presidential prospects could result in a Special Election for Governor in 2015 or 2016.  Should Christie resign as governor to become a full-time presidential candidate, Lt. Governor Kim Guadagno would become governor. There would be a special gubernatorial election for the remainder of Christie’s term as part of the next general election, unless the resignation happens within 60 days of the next election.

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Scott Walker stands up for Chris Christie’s conservative credentials, report says

Scott Walker stands up for Chris Christie’s conservative credentials, report says (via NJ.com)

TRENTON — At least one prominent Republican isn’t buying the idea that Gov. Chris Christie is a moderate. Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker defended Christie in the wake of criticism that the New Jersey governor isn’t conservative enough for some Republicans…

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