Congressman Chris Smith and Monmouth County Shaun Golden prepared to survey Hurricane Sandy damage
Congressman Chris Smith easily defeated his Democratic challenger, Brian Froelich of Spring Lake, to earn his 17th term in the House of Representative. Smith new 4th district includes most of Monmouth County and parts of Ocean and Mercer County.
With 68% of the vote, Smith is the only Republican in the New Jersey delegation to break 60%.
Congressman Frank Pallone defeated Anna Little by 32% in their 6th congressional district rematch, earning a 13th term in the House of Representatives.
148,251 votes were cast for Pallone district wide compared to 75,519 for Little.
Pallone won all four voting districts in Highlands, Little’s home where she served as mayor from 2008-2010.
In the Monmouth County portion of the district Pallone won the voting machine tally by 41,462-33,202. These numbers do not yet reflect the thousands of paper ballots that were cast in the Middletown Township portion of the district where the machines malfunctioned. Additionally, v0ters who received email and fax ballots by 5PM on election day have until 8PM Friday to deliver those ballots to the Board of Elections.
In Middlesex County, Pallone earned 71% of the vote, 100,040 of the 141,502 machine ballots cast.
The likelihood of Little overcoming that lead with provisional, paper and emergency ballots is nil.
By popular demand (from Matt Rooney and a Democratic operative who doesn’t want people to know he/she talks to me) your favorite blogger is shifting his focus away from the Sandy Aftermath and back to politics on this election eve.
Rooney said, “Let’s hear your projection, Gallagher.” My response: “The power will be off at my house for the rest of the week.”
In a remarkable interview with NJ.com,6th district congressional challenger gives insight into her transformation from a rising GOP star to a fringe candidate.
“I had been a mainstream Republican candidate, but unfortunately I was not allowed to be myself. I am a traditional lady – I am pro-life, I am Catholic, and I am proud of it,” Little said. “Any political party, if it’s top-down driven, they want you to fit their mold. I don’t fit anybody’s mold. With the Tea Party people, I can be me. And I just want to do the right thing.”
Anna Little in her Woodbridge campaign office during her NJ.com interview. Photo credit: Mark Bonamo/NJ.com
The obvious implication is that those who didn’t “allow” her to be herself don’t want to do the right thing. That’s her ethos. On the wall next to her desk in her campaign office is her slogan,
“NEW JERSEY & POLITICAL CORRUPTION: PERFECT TOGETHER.”
Little was a mainstream candidate. A good one at that. In early 2006 the Monmouth GOP County Committee, suffering from the aftershocks of Operation Bid Rig, tabbed the little know Highlands Councilwoman and her “do the right thing” message to complete Amy Handlin’s seat on the Monmouth County Board of Freeholders when Handlin was sworn into the State Assembly.
During her fall campaign to defend the seat, then GOP County Chairman Adam Puharic, a proud pro-life Catholic, called Little “a Rock Star.” Against an anti-war, anti-Bid Rig tide, Little was a rare Republican victor on election night of 2006. Within weeks the proud pro-life Catholic Puharic was plotting to get Little off the Republican ticket the following November.
Puharic and the Monmouth GOP did send Little packing from the Freeholder Board one year after she emerged like a Rock Star. The Highlands GOP welcomed her home an nominated her for mayor after the incumbent unexpectedly resigned his candidacy. The Highlands voters welcomed her home with a victory. Three years later, rather than run for reelection Little ran for Congress. She narrowly won the Monmouth County portion of the 6th district in a huge pro-Republican tide election. But she lost Highlands. Republicans swept every ballot position in Highlands in 2010, except the top one…Little’s. Highlands voted for Frank Pallone in 2010 rather than their incumbent mayor.
If you don’t support Anna Little unconditionally and give her what she wants when she wants it, you’re either corrupt or stupid. That’s her message. Her lack of mainstream support has nothing to do with her being pro-life, Catholic or a traditional lady. There are many pro-life, Catholic, traditional ladies thriving politically in the mainstream NJ/Monmouth GOP.
The list of former Little supporters who have mysteriously become corrupt or stupid is long and growing. It is not an accident that those who know her best, the voters of Highlands and the Monmouth GOP who nominated an unknown political neophyte instead of Little in the congressional primary, have withdrawn their support.
And it’s not because they are corrupt or stupid.
It is, in large part, because she says they are corrupt and stupid when they dare to question her.
On three separate occasions in late August, financial analysts from the FEC wrote to the treasurer of the Republican candidate’s principal campaign committee, “Friends of Anna Little”, formally requesting information essential to the full public disclosure of federal election campaign finances. Anna Little is the challenger for New Jersey’s Sixth U.S. Congressional District’s seat.
Letters from the FEC dated 24 August (Ref-1) and 27 August (Ref-2) were similarly themed, indicating that the campaign had provided improper information for an unspecified number of contributors of more than two-hundred dollars ($200) in the “April 2012 Quarterly Report” (Ref-3) and “12 Day Pre-Primary Report” (Ref-4), respectively. The Commission cited that it is unacceptable to have entries with the employer and occupation of “Cash Contributions/Cash Contributions”, “N/A / N/A”, “None/None”, or “Self-employed/Self”. To satisfy the formal requests of the Commission, on 9 October the “Friends of Anna Little” filed documents (Ref-5) and (Ref-6) that provided the missing information that was obtainable along with a description of those best efforts that the Committee made to obtain it otherwise.
The third letter from the FEC, dated 28 August (Ref-7) will raise both your eyebrows, as the Commission points out the serious defects in the Committee’s July 2012 Quarterly Report (Ref-8), including a negative cash balance. The dull-witted among us may immediately conclude that the Committee’s treasurer is “trying to get away with something” because a negative cash balance indicates that somebody has overdrawn an account. However, giving the briefest thought to the matter would reveal the inherent contradiction, “the treasurer illicitly takes the money, but faithfully reports the taking to the FEC for public disclosure.” If one were to apply Occam’s razor, or just some plain common sense, one should conclude that the treasurer simply blundered while filling-out of the form. To further his blunder, he submitted the form without reviewing it. To make his blunder complete, he has no doubt become a recipient of the hairy eyeball (and probably more) from his wife, Anna Little, the candidate. It is clear that the “Friends of Anna Little” recognized the problem and have addressed it, as evidenced by the amended filing (Ref-9) of 19 October.
Since the time of the writing of the three letters, the calendar quarter has ended. In keeping with public disclosure, the “Friend of Anna Little” submitted the September 2012 Quarterly Report (Ref-10) on 14 October. It should be readily obvious to the most casual observer that Anna Little is truly dedicated to governmental openness, honesty, and transparency even when such reveal her warts.
This ends my energetic language. References follow.
Anna Little’s 6th district congressional campaign reported $52,151 cash on hand and $96,366 in debt to the Federal Election Commission through the quarter than ended September 30th.
The campaign reported that it raised $203,573 and spent $156,155 in the quarter. Of the $203,573 raised, only $33,689 was itemized by donor. Most of the donors disclosed were from outside of New Jersey. The required employer information is missing for many.
Little’s second quarter report indicated a negative cash balance of over $11,000. The third quarter report, which was filed electronically on October 14, indicates that the campaign had a beginning cash balance of $4,734.
Little was criticized by the FEC in August for failing to disclose donor information, for math that doesn’t add up or jibe between reports and for reporting a negative cash balance but no debt. She was required to amend her three prior reports by October 4th. The prior reports were not amended and the violations apparently continue in the current report.
Of the $156,155 Little said she spent, $2,250 was paid to Constantine Financial Services of Oaktan, VA for compliance consulting. $1,800 was paid to Chris Walen, CPA of Matawan, NJ for accounting services. Rick Trader of Deptford, NJ was paid $1950 for conservative commando radio and Jayson Solino of Ocean, NJ was paid $4000 for a website. Little’s website is linked to a free blogspot site that hosts her press releases.
Other reported expenditures include $1748 paid to Lakeside Manor in Hazlet, NJ for lodging. Lakeside Manor, a catering hall, does not have lodging rooms.
Little is making her second attempt to unseat Congressman Frank Pallone. Pallone is seeking his 13th term in the House of Representatives. For the quarter ended September 30, Pallone raised $1.6 million and spent $1.3 million in campaign funds. He has $3.5 million cash on hand.
Monmouth GOP Headquarters. Who's missing? Click on photo for full view
Anna Little’s congressional campaign has failed to respond to the Federal Election Commission’s demands for accurate information about the campaign’s finances.
As reported by MMM on September 12, the FEC wrote Little’s husband and campaign treasurer, Rob Little, three separate letters in late August regarding serious deficiencies in the campaign’s April 2012 quarterly report, the 12 day pre-primary report, and the June 2012 quarterly report. The April and pre-parimary reports lacked donor information. The July report, which reported a negative cash balance of over $11,000, did not jibe with the previous two reports. The FEC demanded that all of the reports be ammended and that they be filed electronically. The deadline for the April amendment was September 28. The pre-primary report amendment was due on October 1 and the July amendment was due yesterday. None of the amendments are posted in the FEC website.
The FEC’s letters stated in bold print that requests for extensions would not be considered and that failure to comply could result in audits and enforcement action.
The FEC analysts who wrote to Little referred MMM to the press office. The press office spokewoman told MMM that reports that are filed electronically are posted to the commission’s website “almost immediately.” Reports that are submitted via paper are posted “within 48 hours.” The spokeswoman twice suggested that MMM contact the campaign. “It will be interesting to hear what they have to say,” she said.
Rob Little told MMM that he received the letters and referred them to the campaign’s compliance officer. Little declined to give the name of the compliance officer, stating, “you’re going to twist whatever I say.”
Speaking of twisted….
The Little campaign yesterday emailed a fundraising appeal declaring that her race against Congressman Frank Pallone is winnable based on Monmouth University/Asbury Park Press polling data.
The email, signed by “Anna,” cited Monmouth University Polling Director Patrick Murray’s statewide poll released last week that measured the favorability ratings to potential Democratic gubernatorial challengers to Governor Chris Christie in 2013. Pallone scored a statewide favorability rating of 16% statewide (17% among Republicans), 9% unfavorable and 75% had no opinion. Little compared that poll to a October 2010 Monmouth survey of the old 6th congressional district that indicated Pallone was beating Little in that race by 53% to 41%.
Little’s email told her prospective donors:
THE RACE IS WINABLE
These polling numbers mean that the number of Registered voters that view Pallone as ‘favorable’ have droped 31% since we last sqaured (sic)off against him in 2010.
These polling results mean that we have 34 days to engage with the 75% of voters who are undecided and help them form an opinion about the self proclaimed author of Obamacare before they head to the polls on Nov. 6th
These polling results mean that victory in the 6th district will be awarded to the campaign that reaches that 75% first!
iPad’s are great. Like most Americans who own one, I use mine to check work and personal e-mails. You probably check sports scores, update your Facebook status and send out an occasional Tweet. But you and I wouldn’t dare to think that it takes the place of human relationships and personal interaction. But did you know that President Barack Obama uses his iPad to read the Top Secret President’s Daily Brief (PDB), rather than attend these critical and time sensitive meetings with seasoned intelligence officers in person? Despite the turmoil in the Middle East and elsewhere, author and investigative journalist Bob Woodward recently reported that President Obama does not “regularly attend security briefings”.
According to History.com, PDB’s are like a laundry list of sensitive intelligence matters, configured in order of importance. They are vital lists containing time sensitive data that are pertinent to both our imminent and long-term national security. Each morning the head of the CIA and other intelligence branches are to meet with the President, so that they can explicate in detail any development that would catch the Commander in Chief’s eye. In fact, every President since JFK has attended the President’s Daily Brief in person, with the exception of Barack Obama.
Marc Thiessen and the Government Accountability Institute report that Obama has attended only 38% of all PDB’s in the last 3 years and 9 months.
That’s right, the leader of the free world prefers what amounts to treating America’s national security like a social network, where he can simply log on and log off or change his status to “offline” when he doesn’t want to be bothered with defending the nation. Resorting to simply reading the brief rather than meet with its authors amounts to gross negligence and dereliction of duty.
On September 11th 2012, Al Qaeda operatives stormed the American Embassy in Benghazi, Libya. Terrorists then reportedly raped and murdered US Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens. Two former Navy Seals were also murdered in the terrorist attack. After the embassy was stormed, a black Al Qaeda flag replaced the American flag.
Congressman Chris Smith and Monmouth County Shaun Golden prepared to survey Hurricane Sandy damage
