By Art Gallagher | MoreMonmouthMusings.com
LD 13 GOP State Senate challenger Leigh-Ann Bellew wasted no time in kicking off her campaign to unseat incumbent State Senator Joe Kyrillos.
“Negative” is not a strong enough word for the press release Bellew sent out this afternoon. “Scathing” is a more accurate description.
By Matt Rooney | The Save Jersey Blog
“Blue” Jersey is predominantly red at the Jersey Shore, Save Jerseyans, and the mostly-Republican legislative delegations representing those counties were less than pleased in the wake of Friday’s joint legislative Ashbritt contract hearing.
The sentiments of the six Assemblymen quoted below echo those of a fired up Sen. Joe Kyrillos (R-Monmouth)…
Assemblyman Dave Rible (R-Monmouth and Ocean):
While the Democrats say that politics had nothing to do with today’s hearing, it is crystal clear that is exactly what their intention was In the immediate aftermath of this crisis, Governor Christie made an informed and swift decision offering towns an option as to how to clean up their debris. Many communities along the Shore were in shambles and people were looking for guidance as to where to begin digging out of this catastrophe.
By Matt Rooney | The Save Jersey Blog
Republicans are likely going to have to find a way to win their first New Jersey U.S. Senate seat since 1972. Bob Menendez is a known fighter who worked his tail off to win reelection in 2012; unless the law or his colleagues intervene, don’t expect the mounting Dominican Republican travel/prostitution allegations — however salacious — to drive him from office under his own power.
Visit MoreMonmouthMusings for an interesting discussion concerning the procedure behind a senatorial vacancy.
For now, I’m going to focus on the “who” question since, at the end of the day, Governor Chris Christie would choose a Republican replacement in the unlikely event that Bob Menendez becomes a “former” senator:
1. Jon Bramnick
The Union County Assemblyman and current GOP Minority Leader is considered by many insiders to be the most likely contender to face Frank Lautenberg (or his Democrat successor) in 2014. That makes him a leading contender should a vacancy occur in the interim.
Strengths: The charismatic, affable 60-year old Bramnick is a part-time comedian and well-liked by his colleagues. The establishment GOP appreciates his ample fundraising prowess, and the Administration values his loyalty and ability to keep the Assembly GOP caucus moving in the same direction. He’s also a socially liberal legislator and right-of-center on fiscal/economic issues, a combination which many pundits/consultants/decision makers in Trenton and other halls of power believe is an ideal fit for the blue New Jersey electorate.
Weaknesses: One biggie to note out of many strengths… he’s an ardent social liberal; it’s a double-edged sword in NJ, folks. In the past, some have even perceived Bramnick’s comments about social conservatism to be downright hostile. That means he could run into trouble in a future contested primary with a Lonegan/Doherty/[insert conservative/libertarian challenger here] and, when the general election finally arrives, experience more trouble keeping the base intact than the uniquely-skilled Christie. His name recognition is also next to nothing outside of NJGOP circles and his home district. That can be fixed, most definitely, but in an expensive state like NJ, it’s not an easy task.
Senator Kyrillos thanks first responders in Atlantic County, New Jersey in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy.
When Joe Kyrillos formally launched his campaign for U.S. Senate, Save Jerseyans, the veteran legislator certainly hoped to find himself in a different position than he does today. There’s no use spinning the obvious… my job is to give you the straight dope from a conservative perspective.
Here it is:
The RCP average hasn’t featured a fresh public poll in over one week, but the news it contains is daunting. He trails the incumbent, Bob Menendez, by anywhere from 14 to 22 points over the last month. In fact, Kyrillos has only cracked 40% in one public poll. Politicos will debate whether the campaign’s decision to avoid throwing punches until the very end made any difference in a race where Kyrillos’s name id barely improved from start to finish.
The mainstream media barely feigned interest as a result (though you could argue they’re complicit in keeping voters in the dark); they’ve even refused to entertain an alleged sex scandal involving Kyrillos’s opponent. Journalistic malpractice? On this point, absolutely! But who’s listening?
To make matters even worse, Hurricane Sandy struck Kyrillos’s Jersey Shore political base with devastating fury and forced major diversions from the trail.
With two weeks to go before Americans head to the polls, Save Jerseyans, we finally have a hard-hitting contrast TV ad from Joe Kyrillos.
And I love it! Philly media market voters saw it several times tonight, and I’m sure it’s up in the North Jersey market, too. An effective spot to be sure (watch below).
My only regret is that it didn’t hit the air two months ago before Bob Menendez’s support settled in around the critical 50%…
The second 2012 New Jersey U.S. Senate Debate between incumbent Bob Menendez and challenger Joe Kyrillos begins at 7:00 p.m., Save Jerseyans.
Watch it live right here:
Not working? Click here to watch on NJ 101.5′s website.
Follow our Live Tweet of the 2nd New Jersey U.S. Senate debate from on NJ 101.5 below and join the conversation by using NJ 101.5′s #SenateDebateNJ hashtag! (Note: If you use those hashtags, your tweets will appear below…)
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Last week’s New Jersey U.S. debate is in the books, Save Jerseyans.
U.S. Senate candidates Joe Kyrillos and the incumbent Bob Menendez will square off in their second debate of the campaign tonight at 7PM.
Debate #2 will be broadcast on NJ 101.5 and moderated by Eric Scott. Listeners can send debate questions by telephone (1-800-282-1015), text (type DEBATE to 89000) or on Twitter with the hashtag #SenateDebateNJ.
Most reviews of Debate #1 haven’t been positive for the Republican challenger, Joe Kyrillos. But it is what it is, Save Jerseyans. What’s done is done. And now it’s time for Senator Kyrillos to do anything and everything he can this evening to illustrate the contrast between himself and Senator Menendenz which he has thus far failed to articulate…
Who Would You Support in the 2014 GOP U.S. Senate Primary?
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