By Matt Rooney | The Save Jersey Blog
Freeholder Aimee Belgard (D-Burlington) may have Nancy Pelosi flying in for a fat cat liberal fundraiser on Thursday, Save Jerseyans, but she’s already stinking up the race to replace Jon Runyan in the Third Congressional District… without a clear GOP opponent!
The DCCC released a memorandum on Tuesday morning outlining its top prospects for 2014 in terms of early fundraising. Guess who didn’t make the list?
Aimee Belgard, despite the fact that the open seat contest was previously touted by Democrats as a “tier one” race.
2012 Democrat nominee Shelly Adler raised almost $310,000 in her first two months of campaigning. Belgard? Approximately $175k raised and $149k cash-on-hand in three months.
WEAK, folks. Extremely.
Her unbelievably amateurish November 2013 radio interview with Dom Giordano (click here), one which led the popular Philly talk host to warn Belgard “[m]aybe you shouldn’t be running for Congress until you know what you’re talking about” when she couldn’t intelligently discuss Obamacare, should convince ANY Democrat with money (and half a brain) to steer clear of CD3 this cycle.
I could see a new federal candidate needing a little time to get caught up on fishing rights debates or federal aviation policy. Obamacare? If you don’t have a well-developed opinion by this point, ladies and gentlemen, then you don’t belong in a position of authority.
And again, keep in mind: no one’s even laid a glove on her to date.
That’ll change very soon, and it looks like when it finally happens, Freeholder Belgard will fold like a lawn chair.
Weinberg there with her too. Yuck… The confiscate advocate. smh
Comparing apples to oranges. Shelley Adler was the widow of the deceased Congressman John Adler with numerous fundraising connections. She wasted alot of money on stupid TV ads, and was running against a reasonably popular incumbent. Aimee Belgard just started running in November, so $175K for two months fundraising ain’t bad. In fact, at that rate she should raise at least a million before the primary, and since she has no opponent can spend that money on positive ads that boost her name recognition. OTOH, how much does Lonegan have? Despite help from Christie and an anemic fundraiser ($1000 X 75) he still has debts to pay from his Senate race. Gilmore’s guy, Tom MacArthur, has 1 million to spend, but he’ll need to spend all of it fending off Lonegan in a bloody primary now that Lonegan has said he will formally announce on Thursday. All in all I wouldn’t be too smug about this race.
I spy TurkeyNeck…
Okay, you just reminded me that I need to send a donation to Steve Lonegan.
Smiling ear to ear, waiting for the debates.
You’re making an awful lot of assumptions about the GOP primary. Outlandish? No, but the problem for Belgard lies in the fact that she probably needs a worst case scenario to develop for the Republicans AND a pro-Democrat change in the national mood to carry CD3 without Cherry Hill. It’s a numbers game and a very tall order.
Lonegan has significant baggage. Even his own former staffers have referred to him as “Lose again” Lonegan. And that was before he lost again to Booker! He’s always a risk to hang himself in debates and a smart attorney like Belgard will be all too happy to tie the noose!
Belgard has the unique advantage of actually living in the district.
Matt – MacArthur only raised 1 thousand dollars. Excuse me, $1,075. The $2million dollars is all his personal money. His numbers are abysmal!!! So much singe is labeled a biggest loser in this article: http://www.nationaljournal.com/daily/winners-and-losers-in-the-money-race-20140414
She is going to win and do a great job. Why doesn’t the Right fly someone in from North Jersey to try and beat…. No wait. That’s exactly what those morons are doing….
No, she won’t. She is so afraid she won’t be popular across the aisle she and the NJDSC tried to remove NJWeedman from the ballot in fear her votes would be diluted. While the courts are presently protecting her, he will eventually prevail, as the challenge was clearly out of time. That said, the carpet-bagger is the least of her worries – there’s another player on the field, and he has support from Republicans AND Democrats, and certainly from Independents. Going after weedman was a mistake, because she will have marginalized herself with the more liberal in her camp. That “OTHER” opponent, certainly no liberal, jumped in and is helping his opponent thwart the witch hunt. Mac may have bought his way past the primary with the rank and file, but he was so obviously a corrupt choice that the turnout was abysmal in both counties. I was genuinely surprised he got past Lonegan, but money talks among the leadership…they only listen to the dollars, and not to the people they’re supposed to be leading. That “OTHER” guy is gaining a lot of support from both camps – and well he should. I’m voting for him.