Moment of False

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.

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Little Enthusiasm For Anna

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.

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Little attends Kyrillos’s fundraiser

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.

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Little dropping out of U.S. Senate Race. Considering Rematch Against Pallone

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.

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Sen. Joe Kyrillos Statement on Sen. Bob Menendez Job Proposal

It has taken Sen. Menendez 17 years in Washington to offer a jobs proposal.  The unfortunate thing is during Sen. Menendez’ time in the U.S. Senate unemployment has skyrocketed from 4.7% to 8.3% as he voted for higher taxes, more spending and job killing regulations.  His only solution is to attack the private sector, oppose energy independence and job producing projects and demand higher taxes to fix our economy.  
 
I will fight to close the spigot on Washington spending, reform our tax code so it is friendly to the taxpayer and small businesses and pass a balanced budget amendment that forces Congress to spend within its means rather than endless borrowing of money from China.  Anything less is unacceptable.

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SENATE AND ASSEMBLY REPUBLICAN LEADERS ENDORSE JOE KYRILLOS FOR U.S. SENATE

“New Jersey needs Joe Kyrillos in the U.S. Senate”

Morris, Somerset and Union Counties  – March 2…  Today, Senate Republican Leader Tom Kean and Assembly Republican Leader Jon Bramnick endorsed Senator Joe Kyrillos for United States Senate. 

Senate Leader Tom Kean said, “Joe Kyrillos has been a reliable conservative warrior on behalf of New Jersey taxpayers throughout his entire career.  Joe has been a leader in the Senate and a valuable ally as we change business as usual in Trenton. I consider Joe and his wife Susan to be among my closest friends and as the people across New Jersey get to know Joe throughout this campaign, they will come to realize just as I have, that Joe is just the reformer we need to send to Washington, DC to change business as usual in our nation’s capital.” 

Assembly Leader Jon Bramnick said, “Joe Kyrillos has been an incredible ally in our effort to fix New Jersey’s fiscal mess and I am proud to endorse him today.  Not only has he been an ally, but he’s also been a leader – he led the charge for us in the Senate as we fought together for Governor Christie’s ‘Tool Kit’ initiative to reform government and cap our property taxes.   He has played a vital role in the reforms we have been able to pass to get the New Jersey comeback started.  When you compare Joe’s record of accomplishment to Bob Menendez’s failed record, it becomes crystal clear – New Jersey needs Joe Kyrillos in the U.S. Senate.”

Senator Joe Kyrillos said, “I am proud and humbled to have the endorsement of two of New Jersey’s leaders and most accomplished legislators.  Today’s endorsement of my campaign by my friends Senator Kean and Assemblyman Bramnick demonstrates that our message of reform is resonating across this great state.  Our representatives in Washington are failing us.  They offer us nothing new or different—just more of the same: More spending, more debt, more job-killing regulation.  I am running on my record of reform and I know that together, we can prove again what a free and enterprising people are capable of.  We can renew America’s promise of opportunity, and make New Jersey proud.  I don’t take this responsibility lightly, and I won’t let you down.”

Senator Joseph M. Kyrillos, Jr., 51, is married to Susan Doctorian Kyrillos and they live in Middletown with their children Max and Georgia. He began serving New Jersey’s 13th Legislative District in 1988 when he was elected to the General Assembly. After spending two terms in the Assembly he was elected to the Senate where he has served since 1993.  In addition to his official duties, the Senator is employed as Senior Managing Director of Colliers International, the commercial real estate services firm with offices in New York and Parsippany. He is also an advisor to the Newport Capital Group in Red Bank, NJ.

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Kyrillos Tours Cop2Cop Call Center

Piscataway— Following a tour of New Jersey’s Cop2Cop crisis intervention program call center in Piscataway, Senator Joe Kyrillos (R- Monmouth) applauded the University of Medicine and Dentistry (UMDNJ) for providing professional, life saving crisis intervention services to New Jersey’s law enforcement officers:

“Cop2Cop, like its sister services Vet2Vet, Vets2Warriors, and Mom2Mom, fill a critical need for police officers dealing with significant psychological and emotional trauma as a result of their service to our state and communities,” said Kyrillos, who was the original prime sponsor of the legislation which established the program. “UMDNJ has done a fantastic job of running and promoting what was at its conception a truly innovative idea. This program is now a model for the nation that has helped to avert 187 suicides since its inception.”

Kyrillos toured the Piscataway facility with Cherie Castellano, Director of the Cop2Cop program and was introduced to many of counselors who respond to calls from those seeking help from the program.

Cop2Cop is an award winning, nationally recognized, first-of-its-kind program that utilizes former police officers to provide counseling and suicide prevention services to officers in crisis who call the hotline. It has three sister services that operate using a similar peer counseling model: Vet2Vet, aimed at veterans returning from active duty, Vets2Warriors, a new service modeled after Vet2Vet serving veterans nationwide, and Mom2Mom, providing crisis intervention services to parents of autistic children.

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Quinnipiac: New Jersey Voters Approve of Christie and His Tax Cut

82% Don’t Know Enough About Kyrillos To Form An Opinion On His U.S. Senate Candidacy

New Jersey voters continue to approve of the job Governor Chris Christie is doing, according to a Quinnipiac poll released this morning.

Christie’s job approval is 55-38%, with a significant gender gap.  Men approve of the governor 62-32% while woman approve 49-44%.

New Jersey voters approved of Christie’s proposed income tax cut by a 55-31% margin.

If Christie were selected as the vice presidential nominee,  his presence on the ballot as Mitt Romney’s running mate would close the gap between Romney and President Obama, but not by enough to carry the state.  Obama beats Romney 49-39% in New Jersey.  The gap closes to 49-43% if Christie in Romney’s VP choice.

In the U.S. Senate race, incumbent Democrat Bob Menendez bests Republican Joe Kyrillos by 49-34% with Independents favoring the Democrat 44-32%.

82% of the respondents did not know enough about Kyrillos to form and opinion.

“Sen. Robert Menendez’s numbers are only so-so, but nobody has heard of State Sen. Joe Kyrillos.  He gets only the generic Republican vote,”  said Maurice Carroll, director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute.

In the Republican presidential primary, Romney leads former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum 38-24%, with Texas Congressman Ron Paul coming in third with 12%. Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich gets 9%.  The Republican primary survey has a margin of error of +/- 4.6%.

Obama beats all Republican contenders in New Jersey.  Santorum by 52-34%, Gingrich by 55-30% .  If Quinnipiac polled Paul against Obama, they did not report the results.

Quinnipiac surveyed 1396 registered voters, 446 (32%) of them Republicans, between February 21-27.  The poll has a margin of error of +/- 2.6%

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Menendez Leading Kyrillos in Rutgers-Eagleton Poll

A Rutgers-Eagleton poll released this morning indicates that State Senator Joe Kyrillos is “virtually unknown” to the statewide electorate.

80% either have no opinion (50%) or are unsure (30%) of Kyrillos. 11% have a favorable opinion, 9% have an unfavorable opinion.

U.S. Senator Bob Menendez leads Kyrillos in a head to head match up by 44% to 22% with 26% unsure and 7% saying they won’t vote.

In a generic Democrat vs Republican match up, the Democrat wins 46% to 34%.

The poll’s sampling was slightly skewed in favor of Democrats.  Of the 914 registered voters Rutgers-Eagleton surveyed, 37% were Democrats, 20% were Republican and 43% were Independent.  The actual partisan break down of New Jersey’s registered voters is 34% Democrat, 22% Republican and 45% Independent, according to a February 18 report by Labels and Lists.   The survey was taken February 9-11.

Kyrillos views the poll in a positive light for his campaign.  His campaign manager, Chapin Fay, issued the following statement:

“With gas prices 50% higher than when Bob Menendez was elected to the Senate and unemployment skyrocketing from 4.7% to 8.3%, it’s no surprise Bob Menendez continues to struggle in the polls. His favorable/unfavorable rating is an anemic 37-24 and he is 44% on the ballot, which is Jon Corzine territory. When voters learn how Joe Kyrillos helped Governor Christie turn New Jersey around, they will support his effort to do the same in Washington.”

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Kyrillos: GOVERNOR CHRISTIE’S BUDGET A MODEL FOR WASHINGTON

Menendez Senate has not passed a budget in over 1000 days

Middletown – February 21… Today, Joe Kyrillos applauded Governor Chris Christie’s third straight balanced budget as a blueprint for America’s future.

“Bob Menendez and his colleagues in the Senate could learn something from the tough choices we’re making to fix New Jersey’s finances,” Senator Joe Kyrillos said.

“It’s been over 1,000 days since the U.S. Senate has passed a budget. And, while we balance our budget here in New Jersey, Washington gives us trillion dollar plus deficits – kicking the can down the road spending money on the backs of our children and grandchildren. That kind of record is unacceptable and it needs to change.”

Governor Christie and his allies, including Senator Kyrillos, have led the fight to cap property taxes, reduce spending and reform New Jersey’s broken pension system – the very same issues that are going unaddressed in Washington and contributing to our growing $15.3 trillion in national debt.

When Governor Christie took office in 2010, the state faced a budget shortfall of over $13 billion – today that shortfall is zero.

Senator Kyrillos continued, “Today is proof positive that the New Jersey comeback has, in fact, begun. A lot of people doubted it could be done, but we did it – we are making the tough decisions that need to be made – and it is long past time we did the same in Washington. It is time for the American comeback.”

“While Bob Menendez is offering more of the same: more spending, more taxes and more debt, I am running on my record of fiscal responsibility and real reforms that have reigned in spending without adding extra burdens to New Jersey families.”

Since Bob Menendez was appointed fill Jon Corzine’s seat in the Senate, the national debt has jumped from $8.1 trillion to $15.3 trillion, the annual deficit has grown from $250 billion to over $1 trillion, and unemployment has risen from 4.7% to 8.3%.

“The status quo isn’t working. It is time for New Jersey to show Washington how real leadership works.  It is working in New Jersey.  It will work in Washington.”

Senator Joseph M. Kyrillos, Jr., 51, served as chairman of Governor Chris Christie’s 2009 gubernatorial campaign and has played a key leadership role in moving the Governor’s agenda through the legislature.  Kyrillos is married to Susan Doctorian Kyrillos and they live in Middletown with their children Max and Georgia. He began serving New Jersey’s 13th Legislative District in 1988 when he was elected to the General Assembly. After spending two terms in the Assembly he was elected to the Senate where he has served since 1993.  In addition to his official duties, the Senator is employed as Senior Managing Director of Colliers International, the commercial real estate services firm with offices in New York and Parsippany. He is also an advisor to the Newport Capital Group in Red Bank, NJ.

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