Eck Preparing To Challenge Holt In CD 12

Dr. Alieta Eck

Dr. Alieta Eck is laying the groundwork to run against 12 District Congressman Rush Holt.  She expects to make a formal announcement of her candidacy after the first of the year.  She was a candidate in the Special Senate Primary to replace the late Senator Frank Lautenberg this summer, losing to former Bogota Mayor Steve Lonegan.  Lonegan went on to lose to then Newark Mayor Cory Booker by 11%.

Eck told MMM this afternoon that she is setting up meetings with the Republican County Chairs of the distirct (Mercer, Middlesex, Somerset and Union) and the National Republian Congressional Committee. She hopes to avoid having to defend her nominating petitions come April.  She also hopes to be unopposed for the GOP nomination.  Eck said she is being advised by GOP consultant David Millner and former Congressman Mike Pappas.  Holt unseated Pappas in 1998.

[Aside: NRCC is selling Bush/Cheney 00 tee shirts for $25 if you’re looking for stocking stuffers] (sarcasm off)

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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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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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What can we learn from the Booker-Lonegan contest?

For those who try to read political tea leaves, the only lesson to be taken from the results of the Special Election this week is that apples and oranges make fruit salad.

For conservatives and Tea Partiers enthused that Steve Lonegan lost to Cory Booker by a significantly lower margin than Joe Kyrillos lost to Bob Menendez last year, consider this; Kyrillos had more votes in the 2012 general election than Booker and Lonegan had combined on Wednesday.  More people voted for Joe Kryillos in the 2012 U.S. Senate race than voted for Chris Christie in the 2009 gubernatorial race.

For Trenton Republicans hopeful about taking control of the State Senate, consider this; If the fact that Lonegan lost Senate President Steve Sweeney’s district by only 347 votes, .9%, means that Sweeney is more vulnerable to Niki Trunk’s campaign than previously thought, does that mean that Susan Adelizzi-Schmidt is a shoe-in to defeat Senator Jeff Van Drew in Cape May where Lonegan won by almost 19%?   Does the fact that Booker won Mercer and Middlesex Counties handedly mean there is no hope of picking up the Senate seats in the 14th and 18th districts?  None of the above.

Should Monmouth County Democrats conclude that they have a fighting chance on November 5, because Lonegan beat Booker here by only 9%. Let them think that.

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Lonegan Concedes

photo credit: Charles Measley

Former Mayor Steve Lonegan conceded the Special U.S. Senate election to Newark Mayor Cory Booker.

Lonegan was funny and gracious in his concession speech. “I said to myself, ‘Who wants that job anyway?'”

He thanked Governor Chris Christie for his ” bookend support” from his endorsement to robo calls.  Lonegan said he couldn’t expect anymore from Christie, “other than putting up lawn signs, and the thought of Christie running up and down the highway putting up lawn signs…”

Lonegan congratulated Booker and said , “May God be with him with the decisions he has to make.”

Lonegan said he has done his part in serving the country and is going back to the public sector.

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AP calls Special Senate Election for Booker

The Associated Press just called the NJ Special Election for U.S. Senate for Newark Mayor Cory Booker.

With 58% of the districts reporting, Newark Mayor Cory Booker is leading by 13%, 56%-43%.

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With 47% of the districts reporting statewide, Booker up by 13

Very slow reporting from Morris and Somerset, which should be strong for Lonegan,  Mercer slow to report, they should be strong for Booker.

Lonegan underperforming in Monmouth and Burlington.

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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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