Election Recap

Two of New Jersey’s top political strategists, Republican Chris Russell and Democrat Steve Asycue sat down with NJTV’s Mike Schneider to recap the week’s political news.  Their conversation was much like the rest of the week in Trenton politics….bi-partisan praise for Governor Chris Christie and ongoing animus over the legislative races and Senate President Steve Sweeney’s ongoing feud with Senate Minority Leader Tom Kean, Jr.

My takeaway….the Trenton Dems are already working on 2015 and 2017, and Russell and Asycue wouldn’t mind joining Christie 2016.

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Vin’s Folly

The reaction to Monmouth County Democratic Chairman Vin Gopal’s declaration of victory has been hilarious…and has overloaded MMM stat counter!

Two Tinton Falls officials called first thing this morning unable to contain their laughter at Gopal’s delusional claim of credit for Gerry Turning’s election as mayor.

Tinton Falls Mayor-elect Gerry Turning

“I’m the most conservative Democrat you’ll ever meet,” Mayor-elect Turning said when we got him on the phone. “I registered as a Democrat over 40 years ago when I was 18 and Jerry Brown was running for President.  I don’t consider myself a partisan.  I vote for the best candidates.”  Turning said he voted for Mitt Romney for President last year, Chris Christie for Governor on Tuesday and Steve Lonegan for U.S. Senate last month.

“Neither the Democrats or Republicans in Tinton Falls were involved in my campaign.  We spent no money.  I’m proud of that.  I’ve never run for office before and don’t consider myself a politician,” said Turning, “I have good relationships with John Bennett (the Monmouth GOP Chairman) and Gopal and I want to keep it that way.  But I am not a partisan person and Tinton Falls is not a partisan town.  The residents like it that way,”

A Manalapan resident said via facebook, “Gopal’s letter is actually very funny. He states, ‘In MANALAPAN, Ryan Urgo, Dr. Ayesha Chaudhary and David Goldstein ran a strong campaign for township committee but lost due to an onslaught of negative attacks from the Republicans.’  Manalapan Democrats: In fact, the Republicans never mentioned the Democrats, not wanting to give them publicity since they were all unknowns. The Democrats, on the other hand, spent their entire campaign attacking Andrew Lucas and the farmland preservation, rather than running against the Republican candidates.”

Asbury Park Councilman John Moor said, “Funny that he claims the Asbury Park referendum a victory, I thought it was going to be non partisan.”

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18 Year Old Long Branch Man Charged With Murder

Dante Strong, top right. photo from Strong’s facebook page

Dante Strong, 18, of Long Branch was charged with the murder of Adrian Anderson, 23, also of Long Branch,  yesterday according to a statement released by Acting Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher J. Gramiccioni.

Officers from the Long Branch Police Department were in the area of Central Avenue and Liberty Street in Long Branch around 2:29 a.m. on September 21, 2013, when they heard gunshots.  Officers responding to the sounds of gunfire and were flagged down by several people at 135 Liberty Street, where they found the victim on the front porch, unconscious and bleeding from several gunshot wounds.  The victim was taken to Jersey Shore University Medical Center, Neptune Township, where he was pronounced dead at 5:22 a.m., despite the efforts made to save his life by medical personnel.

A joint investigation was launched by the Long Branch Police Department and the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office.  During the course of the investigation, Strong was linked to an armed robbery the morning prior to the shooting, near the intersection of Central Avenue and Ellis Avenue in Long Branch, less than one block from where the victim was killed.

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Gopal Declares Victory

In an email sent to his party faithful this evening, Monmouth County Democratic Chairman Vin Gopal spun the Republican Romp in Monmouth County on Tuesday as a victorious holding of ground and claimed a net pick up of 1 municipal seat.

While we haven’t carefully fact checked Gopal’s claims, some of them appear to be laughable.  He’s counting a Board of Education seat in Wall Township as a pick up and Mayor-elect Jerry Turning’s uncontested election in Tinton Falls, a non-partisan municipality, as pick up. The Tinton Falls GOP support Turning taking over as mayor of the borough where he has been administrator, after retiring as Police Chief.

Gopal is also not counting Highlands Council President Rebecca Kane’s loss to Republican Mayor Frank Nolan as a defeat, because there are 120 uncounted provisional ballots, even though Kane conceded the race on Tuesday night.  Kane would have to get 77% of the provisional votes, assuming they are all ruled valid, in order to gain the 92 votes needed to over take Nolan’s lead.

The text of Gopal’s email is below the fold, for entertainment purposes.  Feel free to check his facts and comment accordingly.

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Kean is reelected Senate Minority Leader

Senator Tom Kean Jr was reelected Senate Minority Leader moments ago, according to a tweet by PolitickerNJ’s Matthew Arco.

Cross Kean off your list of possible challengers to U.S. Senator Cory Booker in 2014.  Keep him on your list of potential candidates in the next gubernatorial election, whenever that is, either 2017 or a special election in 2015 or 2016 or Governor Christie resigns to run for president.

PolitickerNJ reports that Kean fought back a challenge by Christie’s strongest allies in the Senate to replace the son of the former governor with Sen. Kevin O’Toole.   Kean prevailed 10-6.

Today’s leadership vote marks the first time that GOP Legislators have not complied with Christie’s wishes since the governor took office in 2010.

Kean released the following statement:

“I’m honored to again lead the Republican Caucus in the Senate and I thank my colleagues for their overwhelming support,” said Kean. “The responsibility to my caucus and all New Jerseyans is one I hold with great respect. I look forward to working with Governor Christie, Steve , Vincent and Jon.”

Steve is Senate President Steve Sweeney. Vincent is newly elected Assembly Speaker Vincent Prieto of Hudson County. Jon is Assembly Minority Leader Jon Bramnick who was reelected Minority Leader by the Assembly Republican Caucus.

Republican Senators Sam Thompson, Chairman of the Middlesex GOP, Chris Connors of Ocean County, and Robert Singer, Ocean and Monmouth, were vocally critical of Christie’s bi-partisan reelection strategy and cited Kean party building in an against all odds scenario presented by the gerrymandered legislative map, according to PolitickerNJ.

SaveJersey’s source in the GOP Senate caucus said that the 10 Senators who stood with Kean were concerned that O’Toole was “too close to the Governor” and would have endangered the “co-equal” character of the executive branch.

Trenton really has been turned upside down.  Christie no longer has the only Republican spine in the Statehouse.

Senators Joe Kyrillos, Mike Doherty, Dawn Addiego, Kip Bateman and Steve Oroho voted with O’Toole.

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Breaking: Possible shake up in GOP Legislative Leadership

UPDATED: KEAN REELECTED MINORITY LEADER

The statehouse press corps is buzzing news on twitter about a possible change in the GOP leadership in the New Jersey State Senate.

Current Senate Minority Leader Tom Kean JR has been fighting to keep his leadership post since the election results…no pick ups in the Senate…on Tuesday.  Kean released a letter signed by 11 of the 16 Republican Senators pledging their support for his reelection as leader to the press yesterday.  Governor Christie declined to comment about the possible change in  the Republican leadership in the Senate, but said that the he is “committed to Steve Sweeney” being President of the Senate.

Within the last half hour, The Star Ledger’s Matt Friedman and PolitickerNJ’s Matt Arco both tweeted that Kean entered Christie’s office and left a few minutes later, looking unhappy.  Senator Joe Kyrillos entered Christie’s office 5 minutes after Kean left.

Neither Kean or Kyrillos would speak to reporters.

The Republican Senate Caucus is meeting to elect a their leader for the next legislative session this afternoon.

Kean’s relationship with Sweeney is not good, as Sweeney resented Kean targeting the Senate President seat.  Sweeney responded by keeping all Republican sponsored legislation off the calendar.  Since Tuesday’s election, Sweeney has been publicly taunting and teasing Kean for not gaining any ground for Republicans when the Governor was reelected by over 20%.

Christie needs Sweeney’s cooperation in order to get anything accomplished in a second term, whether Christie runs for president or not.  If Kean’s unworkable relationship with Sweeney is an obstacle, tapping his trusted friend, the ever congenial Kyrillos, as Minority Leader makes perfect sense.

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Governor Christie’s Victory Speech

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Sweeney Victory Tour Underscores Status as Gubernatorial Frontrunner (via NJSpotlight)

Fifteen hours after Gov. Chris Christie used his reelection victory rally to state his case for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination, Senate President Stephen Sweeney (D-Gloucester) staged a four-county victory tour of his own that effectively…

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Assembly Democrats — and maybe Senate Republicans — to get new leaders today

Assembly Democrats — and maybe Senate Republicans — to get new leaders today (via NJ.com)

TRENTON —It’s changing of the guard day for the New Jersey Legislature. Assembly Speaker Sheila Oliver (D-Essex) is on her way out, with Assemblyman Vincent Prieto (D-Hudson) set to formalize his support among the Democratic caucus to succeed her…

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Runyon Will Not Seek A Third Term in Congress

Former NFL star Jon Runyon will soon also be a former congressman.

The 3rd Congressional District Republican will not seek a third term in Washington, according to a report in the Burlington County Times. (Hat tip SaveJersey)

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