More Ugly Nonsense In Atlantic Highlands GOP Primary

Atlantic Highlands Councilman Stephen Boracchia took to facebook yesterday evening and demonstrated why the Regular Republicans, who have been controlling the local party for the last several years, have lost 4 of the last 5 contested municipal offices.

Boracchia impugned the integrity of the Monmouth County Republican Organization team of candidates for promoting the fact that they do indeed have the support of the Monmouth County Republican Organization.  Boracchia, who’s wife is a Regular Republican candidate for County Committee in District 4, implied that his military service makes him a good arbiter of other people’s integrity, while he inaccurately stated that the Monmouth County Republican Organization slogan is not an endorsement. Read the rest of this entry »

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Meet the Tea Party Candidates

Evidently, the Bayshore Tea Party Group leadership and their candidates don’t like the coverage MoreMonmouthMusings is giving their primary campaign.  Don’t take my word for it.  Listen to Barbara Gonzalez introducing sheriff candidate Dan Peters in the first video below.

Leigh-Ann Bellew stopped taking my phone calls a couple of weeks ago.  She told someone to pass along the message that I should deal with Dwayne Horner.  Now Horner is not returning my calls.  Freeholder candidate Ed Pekarsky asked that I post Tom Fitzsimmons’ email and if he could respond here.  I told him he could.  He hasn’t sent me his response.  It’s OK with me that he isn’t responding, but hey, Gonzalez wrote that I censored Tea Party posts, which I didn’t, and then her candidate doesn’t send it a post he that requested.

When I met Dan Peters in early April, he said he would sit for an interview.  I’m writing a story about him for publication later today or tomorrow.  Peters hasn’t returned three calls since yesterday.

It’s a lot easier to write “Bellew (or Horner, Peters, Pekarsky, etc) didn’t return a phone call,” than it is to write up their comments, but I’d really rather give them an opportunity to tell their side of the story.

In that spirit, here they are, telling their own stories on video:

Dan Peters, Sheriff Candidate

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Low turnout is a major risk for LD 13 incumbents

LD 13:Aberdeen, Atlantic Highlands, Fair Haven, Hazlet, Highlands, Holmdel, Keansburg, Keyport, Little Silver, Marlboro, Middletown, Monmouth Beach, Oceanport, Rumson, Sea Bright, Union Beach

The idea that State Senator Joe Kyrillos and Assembly Members Amy Handlin and Declan O’Scanlon could be defeated by their Tea Party challengers, Leigh-Ann Bellew for Senate and Edna Walsh and Stephen Boracchia for Assembly, in the June 4 primary is unthinkable, even laughable, to many Monmouth County Republicans.

But recent history and a look at the numbers indicate that an upset with statewide consequences could very well be in the making if the challenge is not taken seriously.

With only nominal competition in the governor’s race, voter turnout in the Republican primary on June 4 is likely to be very low.   Therein lies the danger for the incumbents. Even “good Republicans” rarely vote in primaries.  Even fewer if there is no perceived competition.

There are 34,216 registered Republicans in the 13th district. In the 2011 primary, the last time the legislature was on the ballot, only 2,274 Republicans voted.   The challengers know that.

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Bellew Comes Out Swinging

LD 13 GOP State Senate challenger Leigh-Ann Bellew wasted no time in kicking off her campaign to unseat incumbent  State Senator Joe Kyrillos.

“Negative” is not a strong enough word for the press release Bellew sent out this afternoon. “Scathing” is a more accurate description.

IN OFFICE SINCE THE 1980s, KYRILLOS TAKES HEAT FROM CONSERVATIVE PRIMARY CHALLENGE

Union Beach, NJ — State Senator and defeated 2012 U.S. Senate candidate Joe Kyrillos, a leading GOP “moderate” who has broken with most Republicans on taxes, abortion and gun control, is facing a conservative primary challenger backed by a full slate of candidates.

“Joe Kyrillos has been in office since the 1980s – that’s nearly 30 years – and his  ‘accomplishments’ have included tripling state spending, endorsing new and expanded gun control laws, and  supporting abortion,” said Leigh-Ann Bellew, a Union Beach educator and conservative activist challenging Kyrillos in the June 4 Republican Primary.

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