November 2, 2009 - 10:21am
News

After 'porn and guns' mailer, Wagner pledges to run positive forever more

After a negative flyer her campaign issued cost her the endorsement of the state's second largest newspaper, Assemblywoman Connie Wagner (D-Paramus) said she will change the way she campaigns.

"I think that I've matured as a candidate and as an assemblyperson, and if I choose to run again in the future, I will only do positive pieces," said Wagner, a freshman running for re-election with fellow incumbent Joan Voss (D-Fort Lee).  "And you can hold me to that."

The now infamous "Porn and Guns" mailer - which accuses Republican opponents Nicholas Lonzisero and Judith Fisher of having ties to the pornography industry and of renting space to a gun shop located near a school (both charges are based in fact, but stretched to logical extreme) - had even Democrats scratching their heads as to why incumbents in a relatively safe district would engage in slash and burn campaigning. 

Ultimately, it cost the two Democrats the otherwise wrapped up endorsement of The Record, which praised their legislative records and said the Republicans "offer mostly boilerplate Republican talking points."  Nevertheless, the paper called the flyer a "deal-breaker" and, in its last line, endorsed the Republicans.

"I just leave out the last sentence. My record is strong.  Joan's record is strong," said Wagner.  "And to be judged by a mailer is foolish."

Matt Friedman is a PolitickerNJ.com Reporter and can be reached via email at matt@politicsnj.com.

Comments

she's been in office how long


and she "Matures" now only after being rebuked on an asinine campaign piece? Pull-eeeze.

Sounds like my 5 year old except he's smart enough to know I don't believe that he's matured

11/02/09 10:32 am

Get a new story


Come on...this story is so last week. Come up with something new to talk about.

11/02/09 11:42 am

Too little......


Too late!!  It's amazing how hindsight is always 20/20!

11/02/09 12:08 pm

Connie Phone Julie


and hell her to stop the stupid childish  and outlandish ads against Driscoll and Hermansen. He is your friend after all.

O" Brien and Walton are so far out there where the busses dont run

11/02/09 12:10 pm

THE ONE


This sounds painfully like the Driscoll "sells cigarettes to kids" campaign but this is one Bergen Democrat I plan to vote for and I'll tell you why.

Connie Wagner is a retired teacher who IS WILLING AND ABLE to take on the teacher's union. Now I'm not anti-union and certainly not anti-teacher, some of my kids best friends are teachers. But Connie Wagner believes that if anything has been taken to its logical extreme it is the power of the Teacher's Union.

Vote against her at our peril!

11/02/09 12:19 pm

Ummmm.......


the thing is Got Kids, the Freeholders have very little to do with the teachers unions.

11/02/09 12:24 pm

Psssst.....


David Shane, Connie Wagner is an Assemblywoman. As in the lower house of the NJ legislature. She will have an enormous influence in/on the pension debate.

11/02/09 1:14 pm

When did she find ethics?


Last week, given the chance to apologize, Ms. Wagner stuck to her mailer and sent out a second one on the same topic. Perhaps she's been influenced. Her assembly office is located in the same building as the major unions. Could be she's used to considering the opinions of certain voting blocks. Maybe she heard from a different one over the weekend.

11/02/09 1:31 pm

This is too funny to be True


Connie Wagner , Ben Feldman and Lynn Hurwitz
all find Jesus on the road to Trenton and Hackensack. Give us a break

11/02/09 2:14 pm

Intellect.


These two intelligent women show us that intellect and common sense don't always go hand-in-hand.

11/02/09 2:27 pm