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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Lonegan Leads By 9% In Monmouth County

GOP nominee for U.S. Senate Steve Lonegan is leading the vote count in Monmouth County 54% to 45% with 91% of the voting districts reporting.

The Monmouth voter turnout reported so far is 22%.

Lonegan needs a higher turnout and a wider margin in Monmouth County to win statewide.

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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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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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Second man dies in hospital overnight from Newark shooting

Second man dies in hospital overnight from Newark shooting (via NJ.com)

Google Maps NEWARK — The second victim of a shooting in the South Ward died overnight from his wounds, the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office said. Rajohn McClain, 22, died at University Hospital at 3:38 a.m., said Thomas Fennelly, the county’s…

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Let me be clear, vote on Wednesday, vote on Wednesday, vote on Wednesday

Republicans and moderate-right Independents planning to sit out tomorrow’s election should view this video twice.

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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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