Leonard Lance

On Tuesday, rival congressional candidates State Sen. Leonard Lance and Assemblywoman Linda Stender ran into each other, fresh from tense budget proceedings in the legislature. 

The two caught the same 7:00 a.m. train to Washington, where each was meeting with party leaders to plot strategy for the months ahead.  The two commiserated on the long night in Trenton, but they didn’t sit next to each other.    

Stender was headed to an event hosted by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi for about five top tier female congressional candidates.  Lance was on his way to meet with National Republican Congressional Committee Chairman Tom Cole and other party bigwigs. 

McCain State Chair Bill Baroni, right, with Sen. Leonard Lance on Wednesday in Woodbridge.
WOODBRIDGE - The McCain campaign opened up its New Jersey/New York regional headquarters here in the heart of hail fellow blue collar country on New Brunswick Avenue.

"New Jersey is McCain country," declared New Jersey State Campaign Chairman Bill Baroni, flanked by fellow Republicans, including Sen. Thomas Kean, Assembly Minority Leader Alex DeCroce, state Sen. Kevin O’Toole, state Sen. Leonard Lance, Burlington County Republican Chairman Bill Layton, Bergen County Clerk Kathleen Donovan, Morris County Sheriff Ed Rochford, and Ed Cox, chair of the New York McCain campaign, among others.

"We are here, we’re campaigning, we’re competing, we’re building a grassroots organization, we’re opening it (campaign headquarters) in the heart of Reagan Democratic country," said Baroni, who also at least once invoked what New Jersey Republicans call the "Baroni model," or hardcore shoe leather-style campaigning.

Somerset County Democratic Chair Peg Schaffer, right, with Montgomery Mayor Cecilia Birge, one of her freeholder candidates. 

Charged up by the presidential race, Democrats believe they can storm GOP freeholder strongholds in at least three counties this year: Somerset, Burlington and Monmouth.

While the Democratic Party has chopped away in sections at county freeholder seats in Monmouth and now is one win away from obtaining a majority, Somerset and Burlington remain elusive Republican bulwarks for the Democrats, who see Monmouth as a model.

The election this week of a new Democratic Party chair in Somerset brought forth fighting words from those party members long schooled in living under Republican rule, and prompted the obligatory GOP reply that for all the updates on Democratic Party registration, the county remains red.

Following her loss to state Sen. Leonard Lance last week in the 7thKate Whitman Congressional District GOP primary, Kate Whitman reached out to the winner and offered her help.

Today, Lance spokesman Amanda Woloshen confirmed that his campaign has made Whitman a member of its finance committee.

"She'll be an important member of our team," Woloshen said of the daughter of former Gov. Christie Todd Whitman.

Whitman's congressional campaign raised more money than any of her primary opponents.

Henry Kuhl and parlimentarian Tony Maglio 

FLEMINGTON - The veterans picked the veteran here tonight and the county committee responded in kind as Hunterdon County Republican Chairman Henry Kuhl won re-election over Bloomsbury Mayor Mark Peck.

The Hunterdon GOP faithful are proud and excited to have two residents on the general election ballot in important races: Dick Zimmer running for U.S. Senate and Leonard Lance for U.S. Congress in the 7th District.

Both candidates backed 28-year chair Kuhl for another term.

7th Congressional District GOP nominee Leonard Lance 

FLEMINGTON - State Sen. Leonard Lance, the Republican candidate for Congress in the 7th District, just thanked the overflow crowd here in GOP headquarters.

"I'm grateful to everyone in this room," said Lance, who last week romped to victory in the GOP primary.

The candidate, who made his remarks moments before heading out the door to attend reorganization meetings in Somerset and Union counties, endorsed chair Henry Kuhl for another term over challenger Mayor Mark Peck of Bloomsbury.

Seventh district Congressional candidate Kate Whitman touted a last minute endorsement from Hunterdon County Sheriff Deborah Trout today.

That’s Whitman’s first endorsement from Republican rival Leonard Lance’s native Hunterdon County. Lance supported Trout’s unsuccessful opponent, George Muller, in a close primary for sheriff last year.

Can’t wait until tomorrow night to see who wins the major U.S. Senate and Congressional primary contests?

Below are some predictions from pollsters, political science professors and observers who track Garden State politics.

The observers were unanimous in their predictions for the Democratic Senate primary, foreseeing a relatively easy victory for incumbent Frank Lautenberg. On the Republican end, the outlook was not so clear cut, with observers split between state Sen. Joe Pennacchio and former Rep. Dick Zimmer. Ramapo College Finance Professor Murray Sabrin will have the support of presidential candidate Ron Paul’s fans, and could take some conservative voters away from Pennacchio.

In the heated Republican primary in the 7th congressional district, state Sen. Leonard Lance is the clear favorite. The 3rd district congressional primary, however, is a toss-up. In what has been perhaps the nastiest race of the election cycle, it was tough decide who had the edge between Medford Mayor Chris Myers and Ocean County Freeholder Jack Kelly.

These races will likely be determined by a very small number of voters. Even the most optimistic of outlooks puts voter turnout at approximately 30%, and most say they expect significantly less than that.

In its two Republican Primary endorsements, The New York Times today backed former U.S. Rep. Dick Zimmer for United States Senate, and state Sen. Leonard Lance (R-Hunterdon) for Congress in the 7th District.

The Times endorsement of Zimmer over state Se. Joseph Pennacchio (R-Morris) and economist Murray Sabrin criticized Zimmer for setting a deadline for withdrawal of American troops from Iraq while advocating for a permanent extension of the Bush administration tax cuts.

But the paper praised him for compiling a "strong record" in the House on ethics reform and the environment, and appreciates his pro-choices views.

Clockwise from lower left: Leonard Lance, AD Amar, Martin Marks, Darren Young, Kelly Hatfield, Thomas Roughneen, Kate Whitman. 

MOUNTAINSIDE - The seven Republican candidates for Congress in the 7th District debated at Town Hall here on Thursday night in a one-hour forum moderated by Fred Rossi of the Westfield Leader and Scotch Plains Fanwood Times.

As expected, most of the criticism flew in the direction of state Sen. Leonard Lance (R-Hunterdon), who in turn directed his ire at the $10 trillion national debt.

Iraq War veteran Thomas Roughneen of Watchung attacked Lance’s environmental advocacy, while Scotch Plains Mayor Martin Marks and businesswoman Kate Whitman of Peapack-Gladstone blasted him for not being a more effective fighter in state government for property tax relief.