Anyone happen to catch the NY Post today? This morning the paper published an article that should be making Senator Menendez a bit uneasy. While I have heard time and time again that no Republican is could take down Hudson Bob and his $9 million war chest, the article asks the very simple question of: why not?
Governor Christie ran in 2009 against super rich and super funded Jon Corzine. Christie was wildly outspent and up against a huge machine effort to retain power, and yet still pulled out the victory to turn this blue state red for the first time in a long time.
So why couldn’t Kyrillos do the same?
Menendez is constantly polling below 50% and Kyrillos numbers continue to rise, albeit at a slow pace, but steadily as he gains name recognition. If most people know who Bob Menendez is, and less than half of likely voters support him, and almost no one knows who Joe Kyrillos is, but the more the find out the more they tend to like him (at least more than his opponent), who has the upper hand?
And yes, Bob Menendez does have that aforementioned $9 million campaign account, but Senator Kyrillos has shown that his fundraising ability is nothing to scoff at, as the Post recognized today,
Still, Kyrillos’ proven fund-raising ability and the polling data combine to make one sit up and take notice. The challenger has developed quite a reputation in Trenton for shepherding Christie’s program through the state Senate: He helped push the governor’s pension reforms and property-tax and spending caps through a Democratic Legislature. He also opposed implementation of ObamaCare in New Jersey and has a long record of opposing tax hike
Raising more than $1.7 million in the last few months puts Kyrillos on good pace if he can continue to gain the polling momentum necessary to keep those checks coming. It also doesn’t hurt to have some help. Enter Mitt Romney.
According to NJ.com, Romney will be coming to New Jersey very soon for a $5,000 per plate dinner in a private home. You can bet that the opportunity to schmooze with the next President of the United States will bring out the big bucks for Kyrillos. Just the other night in Philadelphia, Romney gave a specific shout out to Kyrillos in his speech to the Independence Hall Tea Party. It should be no surprise considering their history, but it appears Senator Kyrillos and Governor Romney will be working together throughout the cycle.
But wait, Menendez has his tag team partner too! Former President Bill Clinton will reportedly be here in support of Bob on June 1. So here is my question, what does it say when a multi-term sitting US Senator with $9 million dollars in the bank needs to bring in a big gun like Bill Clinton to boost his fundraising and enthusiasm way back in June of an election year?
It sounds to me like someone is worried about his job. Whatever the Romney/Kyrillos team is doing, I suggest they keep it up.
