“My work is done here. Winfrey has finally succumbed,” announced Novick at a press conference, pumping his fist in ‘win’ style. Novick was a huge Phil Donahue fan, and used to watch him everyday. Back in 1986, when the Oprah Winfrey Show took over the time slot [...]
There has been a lot of talk about putting the issue of marriage equality on the ballot in New Jersey. This is something that Assemblywoman Alison Littell McHose , Senator-Elect Michael Doherty, and Assemblyman Michael Patrick King would like to see. “Let the people decide,” they say. [...]
On the Record
Michael Aron hosts Assembly Speaker Joseph Roberts (D-Camden), Assembly Minority Leader Alex DeCroce (R-Parsippany), Senate Majority Leader Stephen Sweeney (D-West Deptford) and Senate Minority Leader Tom Kean, Jr (R-Westfield) to discuss the budget crisis and the election.
Airs: Sunday at 9am and 11am, Monday at 6:30am [...]
Former Bergen County Democratic Chairman Joe Ferriero’s attorney has filed to have Ferriero's corruption conviction overturned.
Defense lawyer Joseph Hayden said he filed about a dozen arguments in federal court, chief among them challenging Ferriero's conviction for conspiracy to defraud Bergenfield of co-defendant Dennis Oury’s honest services. Oury, who was Bergen [...]
Former Republican assembly candidate Stepfanie Velez-Gentry made national headlines for her unusual occupation, but she would be willing to put that job aside if offered one by the incoming Chris Christie administration.
“I would absolutely be interested,” she said. “I want to help make changes in the community, and if [...]
Gov.-Elect Chris Christie today named the 19 issue subcommittee chairs for his transition team.
The 19 chairs include the 10 members of Christie’s transition team that have already been announced, but whose specified roles have now been made public. Newcomers include state Sen. Marcia Karrow (R-Raritan), who was defeated by [...]
Incoming Bergen County Republican freeholders Rob Hermansen and John Driscoll will be outnumbered by Democrats 5-2 on the board, but they plan to propose some bold initiatives as soon as they are sworn in - ideas that will probably be met by a tough crowd.
Driscoll and Hermansen want [...]
Ronald C. Rice tweeted not so sweetly about soon-to-be Senate President Stephen Sweeney.
Well, we were able to obtain the rest of the tweets---in fact, there was an entire conversation tweeted between the future Senate President and the current Newark Councilman…. [...]
It’s on.
Chris Fifis, the Lumberton Democratic Chairman who is the favorite of South Jersey Democratic leaders to become chairman of the Burlington County Democrats, put out a statement officially acknowledging his candidacy for the chairmanship in response to Assemblyman Herb Conaway’s (D-Delanco) decision to run for the post.
“I remain [...]
While his fellow party members took a frontline beating from Chris Christie on Election Day in Monmouth County, Mayor Jon Hornik quietly won two out of three council seats in Marlboro to preserve his majority in western Monmouth's largest, most voter-concentrated town.
"Gov. Jon Corzine lost Marlboro by over 30%, but I think [...]
Assemblywoman Sheila Oliver (D-East Orange) told The Star-Ledger today that Assemblywoman Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-Trenton) has dropped her campaign to become assembly speaker.
Oliver, who is expected to ascend to the speakership as part of a deal between north and south Jersey Democrats to install state Sen. Stephen Sweeney (D-West [...]
Assemblyman Herb Conaway Jr. (D-Delanco) wants to be the next chairman of the Burlington County Democratic Committee, setting up a potential contest to lead the troubled organization.
“What made me decide to run was that we have a need for a county party that functions. We have a lot of [...]
New Jersey voters repudiated Governor Jon Corzine's policies of the past four years on November 3rd. Republican Chris Christie and Independent Chris Daggett received nearly 55% of the votes cast.
The anti-Corzine voters played it safe on Election Day, pulling the lever for Christie instead of Daggett who had a [...]
New Jersey residents narrowly support legalizing same-sex marriage but do not consider it a high priority, according to a Rutgers-Eagleton poll released this morning.
By a 46% to 42% margin, New Jersey residents think same sex couples should have the right to marry, while 12% are unsure. If the legislature [...]
State Sen. Loretta Weinberg (D-Teaneck) wants Senate Majority Leader Stephen Sweeney (D-West Deptford) to “honor the commitment he made to me” on the marriage equality bill she sponsors.
Weinberg issued a statement this evening in response to Sweeney’s comment at the League of Municipalities today that “the main issue [...]
ATANTIC CITY - Ready to be the next Senate President, state Senate Majority Leader Steve Sweeney (D-West Deptford) just told a crowd of mayors, council people and govenrment types that now is not the time to drive marriage equality through the legislature.
"It's an important social issue," Sweeney tells NJN Chief Political Correspondent [...]
Ocean County Republican Chairman George Gilmore met with ex-Eagles tackle Jon Runyan yesterday, who told him that he is "strongly leaning" toward running.
But Gilmore, who said he had a "nice conversation" with Runyan, is not sold on him as the candidate to take on freshman U.S. Rep. John Adler [...]
ATLANTIC CITY - NJN Chief Political Correspondent Michael Aron has a panel on a stage here in one of the break-out-rooms of the Atlantic City Convention Center.
It's a familar group of legislative leaders, but in place of Senate President Richard Codey (D-Roseland) sits Senate Majority Leader Steve Sweeney (D-West Deptford).
The [...]
ATLANTIC CITY - The legislative leadership transmogrifications are evident at the Atlantic City Convention Center, even if the good government intentions are nowhere visible outside whatever sessions convene behind closed doors.
A lot of people are talking about Senate President Richard Codey's party last night.
"An Irish wake," is how Sierra Club Executive Director Jeff [...]
ATLANTIC CITY - The members of Christie's transition team will break into specified groups tomorrow, according to team facilitator and counsel Brian Nelson of Shrewsbury.
"We're going to have a smaller number of groups to examine the issues than Gov. Corzine had four years ago," Nelson told PolitickerNJ.com.
Proving Gov. Jon Corzine's loss in his [...]
ATLANTIC CITY - Trenton Councilman Manny Segura hasn't made a formal annoucement regarding next year's mayor's race, but if he runs and wins he says he would only serve for two terms - max.
"Longevity is a killer in this line of work," said the councilman, down here for the 94th [...]
Governor-elect Chris Christie is in Texas today for the Republican Governors Association’s annual conference.
Christie will attend the conference’s plenary session outside of Austin at 4:30 this afternoon before heading to a 6pm press availability with RGA Chair Haley Barbour -- the governor of Mississippi -- and Virginia Governor-Elect Bob [...]
Seems like everyone makes their money here, and then moves to Pennsylvania and elsewhere.
Some to avoid high property taxes and higher auto insurance rates.
Some ‘cause, I guess they have to. [...]
Up against a politically and geographically connected frontrunner, Assembly Majority Leader Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-Ewing) this week continues to call assembly people in the Democratic caucus in an effort to secure backing for the speakership, according to party sources.
A veteran legislator and former Democratic state party chair, Watson Coleman naturally headed [...]
Former Secaucus Mayor Dennis Elwell was indicted today on federal charges of taking $10,000 in bribes in exchange for help with development approvals.
Elwell, who resigned shortly after his July 23 arrest, allegedly promised to expedite development projects for Solomon Dwek – a government cooperating witness posing as a developer [...]
Former independent gubernatorial candidate Christopher Daggett wants state to investigate robocalls that he says “severely damaged” his candidacy, The Star-Ledger reports.
The call, in which a woman’s voice attacks Republican Chris Christie for being “wrong where it matters most,” urges listeners to “remember Chris Daggett's words: 'It's never wrong to [...]
News of ex-Eagles tackle Jon Runyan's interest in running for Congress in the 3rd District brought about some excitement in Republican circles, but it was not universal.
One South Jersey Republican, skeptical about celebrity candidates, kept his response to two words: Brian Propp.
Propp, who played fifteen seasons with [...]
Camden Mayor-elect Dana Redd has named Wendell E. Pritchett, chancellor of Rutgers University–Camden, and Susan Bass Levin, former commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs, as transition process co-chairs.
According to a release, the transition team will work to develop a number of initiatives, including public safety; health and family [...]
Ready to formally announce at noon in Veteran's Park on Dec. 11, Essex County Executive Joe DiVincenzo says he has one campaign left in him: a third go at county executive next year before retiring to the private sector.
"My option is to run one more time here and then look at other [...]
Essex County Executive Joe DiVincenzo plans to formally kick-off his bid for a third term on Dec. 11th.
Over the past few days in particular, sources say the county executive has made the rounds and confirmed considerable support toward his re-election.
Although no one has emerged as a serious challenger to the popular [...]
Ex-Eagles tackle John Runyan is meeting with Ocean County Republican Chairman George Gilmore at Gilmore's law office this morning to talk about a prospective run for office.
Runyan, a 35-year-old Mount Laurel resident who played with the Eagles from 2000 until 2008, is, in his own words, “seriously considering” challenging [...]
Former Hoboken chief financial officer Michael Lenz by a 4-3-1 vote last night assumed the oath of office to succeed Mayor Dawn Zimmer as the 4th Ward councilmember, according to Hoboken Now.
Lenz served as Zimmer's main political strategist and adviser during the several cycles in which Zimmer pursued public office, [...]
More New Jerseyans get their state news on political and public affairs from television than from any other source, though they think their in-state newspapers do a good job covering the state.
A Monmouth University/Gannett poll released this morning shows that 41% of state residents get most of their [...]
A swastika and the word “Jews” were reported spray-painted on a wall of the NJ Transit train station in Somerville last night. “This is unusual, we’ve never had anything like this in Somerville before,” said Capt. George Fazio. [...]
As in any transition, speculation is rampant as to whom Governor-elect Chris Christie will appoint as Chief of Staff, State Treasurer, and Attorney General. His appointment to the position of Chief Counsel, however, will be equally as important. Traditionally, in situations where the Governor and the Legislature are of different [...]
One of the last senators to announce publicly that he would support Senate Majority Leader Steve Sweeney (D-West Deptford) for leadership over Senate President Richard Codey (D-Roseland), state Sen. Nicholas Scutari (D-Linden) today said he intends to stick with Sweeney.
"That's not the first time I have heard that, but I [...]
East Orange Mayor Robert Boswer today said he believes Chris Christie's victory over Jon Corzine in the governor's race earlier this month should spark Democratic Party senators to reconsider their abandonment of support for Senate President Richard Codey (D-Roseland).
"I don't know what to expect at all from Chris Christie, and probably [...]
After discussing the budget at a meeting with State Treasurer David Rousseau and two officials from the Office of Management and Budget, Gov.-Elect Christopher Christie said his reaction was a "rueful chuckle."
And at a press conference today talking about that meeting, the faces of Christie and his two [...]
TRENTON -- Municipal and county contributions for primary campaigns can now be searched and sorted online by contributor, and the same information will be available for general election candidates early next year, the Election Law Enforcement Commission (ELEC) announced today.
Jeffrey Brindle, the ELEC executive director, made the announcement [...]
Former state Sen. Joseph Coniglio (D-Paramus) reports to federal prison today to begin serving out his 2 ½ year sentence, The Record and AP remind us.
The 66-year-old Bergen County Democrat, who served in the state Senate between 2002 and 2008, was convicted for steering state grants to Hackensack University Medical [...]
Wakeup Call will return on Tuesday, November 17.
Christie's charisma already a force
For Dems, a last shot to create mischief
Ex-NJ Gov McGreevey training to become priest
Stile: PACs, Ferriero will cloud Bergen executive's race
N.J. Gov.-elect Chris Christie plans to talk about taxes
Coniglio joining the prison crowd
LoBiondo can expect visitors over [...]
PRINCETON - A week to the day after Congress passed a health care reform bill that she personally maneuvered through the lower house halls of power, U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California on Saturday described the measure as a stimulus of economic and individual freedom.
"The public option creates dynamism in the economy," said [...]
Standing in the vanguard of opposing parties makes Gov.-elect Chris Christie and Newark Mayor Cory Booker obvious political adversaries - a relationship made more intriguing by their agreeable history and the crisis demands on both of them to deliver reforms in their respective spheres of power - but whatever the dynamics of their personal and professional relations, allies of both [...]
When he was growing up, Chris Christie's folks must have taught him that when he went to a new playground, he should pick a fight with the biggest kid there to show he has grit even if he got his nose broken. During this year's gubernatorial campaign, Chris Christie seemed [...]
The usual gang of Republican-Conservative-Libertarians have sponsored a number of bills in the Assembly that have been lounging around the Assembly State Government Committee for about two years.. One of them is A468 , “AN Act designating the English language as the official language of the State”. [...]
Chris Christie gives passing grade to Xanadu interior, but still not thrilled
Christie, Corzine Meet and Talk About Transition
Christie's victory has Republicans hopeful for conference in Atlantic City
Ex-Municipal Court judge gets probation for assaulting DJ wife
Jersey Lawmaker Wants to Crack Down on State Workers Who Go Back to Work After [...]
Governor-elect Christopher Christie and outgoing Gov. Jon Corzine have come to a simple agreement when it comes to major appointments and policy decisions in lame duck: if Corzine wants to do something, he'll fill Christie in.
"The understanding that the Governor and I came to was we would be talking [...]
A week to the day after the U.S. House of Representatives passed a health care reform bill, Speaker Nancy Pelosi tomorrow afternoon will join U.S. Rep. Rush Holt (D-Hopewell Twp.) for a tour of the University Medical Center in Princeton. [...]
On the Record
Michael Aron hosts U.S. Reps. Leonard Lance (R-Clinton) and Frank Pallone (R-Long Branch) to talk about the health care bill.
Airs: Sunday at 9am and 11am, Monday at 6:30 am on NJN
Reporters Roundtable
Angela Delli Santi of the AP, Nick Acocella of Politifax, John Reitmeyer of [...]
Assemblyman David Rible (R-Wall) today issued a statement indicating that he does not intend to pursue the office of Monmouth County Sheriff, which Kim Guadagno is vacating to assume the office of lieutenant governor.
"While I am honored that my name has been mentioned as a possible candidate for Monmouth County Sheriff, [...]
MADISON - Gov. Jon Corzine's campaign thought they were well positioned to win re-election against former U.S. Attorney Christopher Christie leading right up to Election Day, Democratic State Chairman Joseph Cryan (D-Union) said today at a joint event with his Republican counterpart, Jay Webber (R-Morris Plains) at Fairleigh Dickinson University. [...]
Going into Election Year 2010, the outlook is hopeful for Republicans nationally. The victories of Bob McDonnell and Chris Christie in Virginia and New Jersey respectively may well be a prelude to a sizable gain for Republicans in gubernatorial races nationally. In the Senate races, Republicans will more than likely [...]
Wakeup Call will retun on Tuesday, November 17.
Some links to stories in this morning's newspapers:
Corzine, his time running out, mum on future
Doblin: An inside look at the outsider now indoors
Stile: Campaign finance reform hasn't stopped shadowy donors
Corzine Hasn't Spoken With Bank of America on CEO Job
Newark's [...]
It’s always harder to blog everyday when it’s holiday time. Soon it will be Thanksgiving, and we’re bogged down catching up on what’s going down. Last Thanksgiving was especially fun due to the addition of our 15 year old cousin, Burkely. [...]
WEST WINDSOR - At a town hall meeting tonight in front of a crowd of supporters, detractors and agitators, U.S. Rep. Rush Holt (D-Hopewell Twp.) defended his decision to vote in favor of healthcare reform legislation that Saturday passed in the House by a margin of 220-215.
"The healthcare bill that passed [...]
Two Democrats who served with former state Sen. Richard Bagger when he chaired the Assembly Appropriations Committee hailed him as a wise choice to co-chair Gov.-elect Chris Christie's transition task force on budget and taxes.
"What an impressive and talented guy," state Sen. Barbara Buono (D-Metuchen), chair of the senate budget committee, said [...]
The primary is a year and a half away, but state Sen. Sandra B. Cunningham (D-Jersey City) is in danger of being tossed off the Hudson County Democratic Organization's (HCDO) line in 2011.
That development could spark an intra-party fight like the one that engulfed Hudson County politics two and [...]
NEWARK - North Ward Democratic leader Steve Adubato hit back today against those critics in his party who bashed him for embracing Gov.-elect Chris Christie in the aftermath of the gubernatorial election at the charter school Adubato founded.
The Democrat singled out longtime political foe Senate President Richard Codey (D-Roseland), who Tuesday [...]
Gov.-elect Christopher Christie's first big move - putting Richard Bagger and Robert Grady in charge of the state budget transition team - is an impressive display of gravitas and seems to avoid some of the early mistakes made by his predecessor, Jon Corzine. Bagger and Grady offer an interesting contrast [...]
Former State Sen. Richard Bagger and former Kean aide Robert Grady will chair Gov.-elect Christopher Christie's transition task force on budget and taxes.
Bagger, a top Pfizer executive, chaired the Assembly Appropriations Committee for four years. Grady, a millionaire venture capitalist who retired in June from his post as Chairman [...]
Ocean County Republican Chairman George Gilmore is not ready to roll over and anoint former Eagles tackle Jon Runyon as the Republican nominee for Congress in the 3rd District.
First, he at least needs to hear from Runyan, who lives in Burlington County.
"I'll wait for Mr. Runyan to make [...]
Everybody needs to start a new job with a list of priorities and Chris Christie is no exception. There might be a thousand things that need to get done but a limited number that can be achieved. He needs to get up every morning, read the list, and raise hell [...]
Ask Republicans about candidate recruitment in the 3rd Congressional District, where freshman U.S. Rep. John Adler (D-Cherry Hill) is expected to face a tough challenge to keep his seat, and you'll hear a long list of potential candidates.
Ask Democrats the same question in freshman U.S. Rep. Leonard Lance's [...]
Jersey City Councilman Mariano Vega - charged in July by the feds with allegedly taking $30,000 in bribes from a federal informant - has listed some of his campaign contributions on official reports as coming from an "FBI operative," the Jersey Journal reports.
Vega sent an amended campaign finance report [...]
Former Philadelphia Eagles star Jon Runyan confirmed today that he’s interested in running for Congress in the 3rd Congressional District.
“I am seriously considering becoming a candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives in New Jersey's 3rd Congressional District. Our great country is headed in the wrong direction, and it’s clearer [...]
Assembly Anthony Chiappone (D-Bayonne) wants his committee assignments back.
Chiappone, charged with allegedly cashing legislative aides' checks for personal and campaign use, was stripped of his membership in three committees by Assembly Speaker Joseph Roberts (D-Camden) immediately after he was indicted by the state Attorney General's Office.
But Chiappone insists [...]
Gov.-elect Christopher Christie today announced a ten-person transition leadership team that includes legislators from both parties. Former Attorney General David Samson had previously been designated as chairman of the transition panel.
The transition team includes: State Sens. Joseph Kyrillos (R-Middletown) and Sandra Bolden Cunningham (D-Jersey City), Ocean County GOP Chairman [...]
Gov.-elect Christopher Christie today announced a ten-person transition leadership team that includes legislators from both parties. Former Attorney General David Samson had previously been designated as chairman of the transition panel. The transition team includes: State Sens. Joseph Kyrillos (R-Middletown) and Sandra Bolden Cunningham (D-Jersey City), Ocean County GOP Chairman [...]
Law enforcement officer Wayne Yahm of Franklin Borough announced today that he will be a candidate for the Republican nomination for Sussex County Sheriff next year.
A captain with the Bergen County Sheriff’s Office with 28 years on the job, Yahm was the Democratic candidate for Sheriff in 2007. Subsequent [...]
NEWARK - Over 100 people packed the Spot on Tuesday night for a fundraiser in support of West Ward Councilman Ronald C. Rice, who's up for re-election next year as a member of the Booker Team.
So far, Rice has no challengers to the seat he has held since he landed in [...]
Up for re-election next year, veteran Paterson Mayor Jose "Joey" Torres expects imminent contact with Republican Gov.-elect Chris Christie.
"Whether he initiates it or we do, at the end of the day we have to work together," Torres said. "If we shun each other, it will only get worse. We're going to have to have [...]
According to the online source www.Dictionary.com, the word “paralysis” is defined as a “state of helpless stoppage, inactivity, or inability to act.” We often hear it used to describe medical conditions that cause certain people to be unable to sometimes walk, talk, or otherwise move. In New Jersey, it can [...]
VERONA - Already state Senate Minority Leader Tom Kean, Jr.'s (R-Westfield) appointee to the congressional redistricting commission and more than a forward observer in the legislative redistricting process, state Sen. Kevin O'Toole (R-Cedar Grove) catapulted into a place where he can now speak candidly in the ears of power, both of the incoming governor and [...]
(In tribute to my dad on Veterans Day, I repeat one of my favorite columns. Thank a veteran today.)
"What did you do in the war, Dad?"
That was the question that Miss Connor, my 4th grade teacher at PS 277 in Brooklyn ,wanted each kid in our class to ask [...]
Now that the gubernatorial election is over, Republicans in Burlington, Ocean and Camden Counties are starting to focus on recruiting someone to take on freshman U.S. Rep. John Adler (D-Cherry Hill) next year.
There is a deep bench of potential candidates, but some Republicans have one in mind who [...]
U.S. Rep. John Adler (D-Cherry Hill) is in a tight squeeze between left and right.
The freshman congressman's voting record so far is not all that different from his Republican predecessor, Jim Saxton - a moderate Republican. But his opposition to the health care bill and his amendment that [...]
An employee of the hedge fund run by State Investment Council Chairman Orin Kramer has been charged with stealing more than $1.3 million from the firm, according to a Bloomberg report.
Ezra Levy, a trader at the Kramer-run firm Boston Provident, allegedly transferred $726,000 of the company’s money to his [...]
Last Thursday, Lisa Jackson, Administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the appointment of my successor as Regional Administrator of Region 2 EPA, Judith Enck, who had been serving as Deputy Secretary of the Environment under New York Governors Eliot Spitzer and David Patterson. Simultaneously, Lisa also announced [...]
Her early critics quietly grumble that she's a political neophyte - the preferred Essex County term of art for someone who rises too quickly in politics.
But Assemblywoman Sheila Oliver (D-East Orange), a veteran of East Orange local politics, said she is more than ready to assume the lead role in the lower house come Nov. [...]
Senate President Richard Codey (D-Roseland) will make his own appointment to a 2010 congressional redistricting commission and leave a second seat for his presumptive successor to fill with his own choice.
The former governor's game plan comes in the face of state Senate Majority Leader Steve Sweeney's (D-West Deptford) control of the lionshare of Democratic [...]
Former U.S. Attorney Christopher J. Christie, left, will become the 55th Governor of New Jersey in January, after defeating incumbent Jon Corzine, right, by more than 100,000 votes. Democrats lost just one Assembly seat, but the GOP picked up eight Freeholder seats across the state. Christie is the first Republican [...]
The tsunami gubernatorial candidate named Christie swept into office many Republican candidates around the state. In my hometown of Flemington, the two Republican Councilmembers-Elect are Michelle Oberst and Marc Haine. Now, prior to the election I did not know either Mr. Haine or Ms. Oberst that well at all. [...]
HAMILTON -- Governor-elect Christopher Christie continued his post-election education theme today, appearing in front of hundreds of students at Steinert High School in Hamilton Township this afternoon.
The suburban environment surrounding the school, which counts Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito as an alumn along with two legislators who attended [...]
He sits on the budget committee as a member of the minority party calling into that chasm between himself and Democrats running both the executive and legislative branches.
But while the opposition last Tuesday maintained its hegemony on the legislative side, the GOP now has a governor-elect in Chris Christie, from whom Assemblyman [...]
State Sen. Diane Allen (R-Burlington) today acknowledged that she has been diagnosed with an aggressive cancer, and is exploring treatment options.
The veteran Republican senator expects to undergo surgery as early as this week.
"My illness has shown me again just how much the good people of my district and the state of [...]
Woodbridge Mayor John McCormac told PolitickerNJ.com he does not want to chair the Middlesex County Democratic Organization.
"No, that's just somebody starting trouble," said the mayor, whose town, Woodbridge, went for GOP candidate Chris Christie over Gov. Jon Corzine even as McCormac's local Democrats won in all but one of the wards where [...]
The Chris Christie cabinetmaking process has begun and among insiders talk inevitably turns to Republican candidates who are already out there in the public sphere with specific expertise - people like Assembly Minority Leader Alex DeCroce (R-Parsippany), Assemblywoman Mary Pat Angelini (R-Ocean) and Assemblyman John Amodeo (R-Margate), among many others.
"If Chris Christie asked me, [...]
The North Jersey urban operative, under the radar as always, eyes bloodshot late in the game last Tuesday night, said he saw what Senate Majority Leader Steve Sweeney (D-West Deptford) saw among rank and filers in South Jersey, and it rattled him early on Election Day.
"For the first time in [...]
Another strategy wouldn't have changed the outcome, he acknowledges, but Charles Wowkanech, president of the New Jersey AFL-CIO, admitted today that the 11th hour influx of big rallies inhibited the Central Labor Council's ability to lock in on GOTV in the closing days of the gubernatorial campaign.
"I don't want this [...]
Now that the dust has finally settled after the grueling campaign for governor, there are a number of lessons that we can draw from this election.
First and foremost, this was a "pocketbook" election. The No. 1 issue on the minds of voters was the state of the economy, followed closely [...]
The NJ gubernatorial election result demonstrates that Governor-elect Chris Christie resurrected the center-right voter coalition of Republicans, Independents, and conservative and moderate Democrats that has always produced Republican victories. Even Christie Whitman failed to do this in both her elections for Governor.
Christie was able to hold social conservatives on [...]
OK, aside from the governor’s race, the House Health Care Bill (H.R. 3962, the Affordable Health Care for America Act). was the big news of the week. And the bill is faaaaaaaaaaar from perfect. The bill contains the Stupak/Pitts Amendment which prohibits federal funding of abortion. But it does allow [...]
Patrick Murray is the founding director of the Monmouth University Polling Institute. According to their website, “The Monmouth University Polling Institute has become a premier independent survey research center known for its in-depth tracking of public policy and quality of life issues.” [...]
The race for governor helped give PolitickerNJ.com our best month since the site launched on February 1, 2000.
As compared to the four weeks before Election Day 2008, visits to our site are up 93%. Page views have increased by 151%, and time on site has gone up 44% -- [...]
Reporters Roundtable with Michael Aron
Gannett’s Michael Symons, The Star-Ledger’s Claire Heininger, The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Jonathan Tamari and PolitickerNJ.com’s Matt Friedman (me) talk about the Chris Christie’s victory.
Airs: Tonight at 7:00, Sunday at 10am on NJN
On the Record
Michael Aron talks about Chris Christie with three Republican analysts: Alan Steinberg, Jeff Michaels [...]
Assemblyman Thomas Giblin (D-Montclair) says he will donate a dime to charity for every campaign lawn sign brought to his Clifton office. "Some of these signs sit around for months following an election," said Giblin, a former Democratic State Chairman. "We can clean-up our streets and help the less fortunate" [...]
Tuesday, November 3rd was not a particularly good day for Democrats across the state, or in Hunterdon County. Although Democrats in Hunterdon are generally used to fielding candidates who face a tough campaign season against a more well-funded Republican opponent, combined with an over-whelming 3-1 voter registration advantage----there are many [...]
Within 24 hours after the election of Chris Christie as Governor, the battle was joined between the Governor-elect and the New Jersey Education Association (NJEA). This could become the Ali-Frazier of New Jersey issue battles. [...]
It was literally minutes after Bergen County Republicans won two freeholder seats that they started eyeing another prize.
"Now for the big one: county executive," said one Republican operative who often works in Bergen County from the Chris Christie Election Night victory party in Parsippany.
Two days after winning two freeholder seats [...]
