The Real Campaign: LD2 GOP slate fires back at Sweeney

Screenshot from stopnorthjerseycasinos.com

By Matt Rooney | The Save Jersey Blog

Assemblyman Chris Brown and Freeholder Will Pauls will face Assemblyman Vince Mazzeo and Atlantic County Freeholder Colin Bell on the LD2 ballot this fall, Save Jerseyans, but if we’re being honest, Senate President Steve Sweeney is the one that’s going to come in heavy and do everything he can (read: $$$) to turn this rare split district into an all-Democrat sweep.

He’s offended that Pauls, a labor leader in his own right, would dare to challenge his hegemonic union authority by running against the South Jersey Machine.

Atlantic County Republicans are increasingly turning to the Internet as a key part of their electoral firewall against the Camden/Gloucester Democrats.

Screenshot from stopnorthjerseycasinos.com
Screenshot from stopnorthjerseycasinos.com

The official county org recently launched MeadowlandMazzeo.com, lampooning the freshman Assemblyman’s infamous “so be it” and “I’m over it” responses to a radio host when asked about the North Jersey casino expansion push.

Next up: on Monday, the Brown/Pauls campaign went live with www.StopNorthJerseyCasinos.com, a petition-oriented website taking Mazzeo to task for refusing “to stand up to Senate President Sweeney and Assemblyman Caputo, Chair of the Assembly Gaming Committee, who are “pushing hard” to put two North Jersey casinos on the ballot this fall which will devastate Atlantic County’s economy.”

“Let me be clear: under no circumstances will I ever give up, or ever give in, to the concept of casinos in North Jersey because the impact will be devastating to the middle-class families and retirees of Atlantic County,” Brown explained on launch day. “The time is now to stand together and wage a grassroots fight against efforts to put this referendum on the ballot, not to cut deals with Trenton’s insiders or North Jersey interests.”

Brown and Pauls’s position is under-girded by a Stockton University’s Lloyd D. Levenson Institute of Gaming study which asserts two new North Jersey casinos could result in the closure of two more Atlantic City casinos and the loss of up to 5,000 jobs and $500 million in gaming revenue. 

Left out of their release? The family of the gentleman looking to construct a North Jersey mega-casino happened to donate a BIG sum to…. Steve Sweeney. Com’on. You knew it wasn’t because the Dems are born-again free market capitalists! 

“It’s been disappointing to watch some of Atlantic County’s representatives in Trenton publicly make plans for expanding gaming outside of Atlantic City before we have transitioned into a destination resort,” added Pauls. “We need strong leaders representing Atlantic County who aren’t afraid to take on their party’s leadership when it comes to protecting the economic future of South Jersey.”

And by strong leaders, Pauls means politicians who aren’t bought and paid for by the South Jersey Machine.

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Matt Rooney
About Matt Rooney 8403 Articles
MATT ROONEY is SaveJersey.com's founder and editor-in-chief, a practicing New Jersey attorney, and the host of 'The Matt Rooney Show' on 1210 WPHT every Sunday evening from 7-10PM EST.

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