I know that everyone is raving about the Rothman vs. Pascrell primary because it reeks of political back stabbing and the unfortunate (or fortunate) realities of redistricting, but maybe that won’t be the primary to watch after all.
This June 5th another district, the 7th, will also have a contested primary on its hands. Larsen is a “third generation small business owner” from Oldwick, NJ. He considers himself a conservative Republican aiming to take out a moderate, “establishment” member in Leonard Lance.
Larsen attempted to primary Lance before, but things could actually be different this time. In the old 7th district, Larsen gathered a little over 30% of the vote compared to over 50% for Lance. However, the new district is decidedly more conservative than it was just a month ago. While it is far from certain whether this race will be close, the numbers show that it can be.
Larsen’s camp released a rather typical statement to launch the campaign,
“Our nation is unique among the nations of the world in that it was founded on a fundamental set of ideals… life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, ‘The Great Experiment,'” Larsen continued. “We must protect these ideals, as they make up the very core from which our great Republic was established.”
“America has come to a precipice, economically and socially. I am again reminded of the phrase, ‘Now is the time for all good men to come to the aid of their Country,'” concluded Larsen. “That is why I am compelled to campaign for the U.S. Congress. I will no longer stand idly by; allowing entrenched career politicians to rob America’s future generations of their financial freedoms and liberties by making immoral decisions for self-aggrandizement and special interests. Time is of the essence for real change in Washington and Restoring the American Dream.”
When I met Larsen at the redistricting meeting just before Christmas, he and his team were very pleased with what they saw on the new map. On June 5th I suppose we will see just how conservative the 7th has become.
I live in the 7th (old and new) and Lance is very good and very representative of both districts. While the 7th became a marginally more Republican district (going from a 49 percent McCain district to a 52 percent McCain district), Larsen is a political opportunist who lost his first go around, and the tea party label won't be any more helpful this go-around than it was last time. Larsen also is not ready for the scrutiny that comes along with a federal campaign. He was exposed as a tax evader last primary, and I am sure there is more hidden under the floorboards.