November 2, 2008 - 10:13pm
News

Lance and Zimmer rally in Union County

Phil Clinton, a.k.a. Phil Morin, endorses Lance

KENILWORTH -- Talk about a study in contrast.

Yesterday, Democrats attracted about 1,500 people to Union County College in Cranford to hear former President Bill Clinton stump for Assemblywoman Linda Stender’s (D-Fanwood) congressional bid.

Tonight, despite pitchers of free beer, the Union County Republicans attracted about 100 people to Kenilworth’s VFW hall to support Stender’s rival, state Sen. Leonard Lance (R-Flemington), and Republican U.S. Senate candidate Dick Zimmer.

Yesterday, Clinton was Stender’s main draw. Tonight, Union County Republican Chairman Phil Morin donned a mask of Clinton, called himself “Phil Clinton” and endorsed Lance.

“If anybody wants to join me, I’ll be at the Hooters on Route 22,” he said.

Lance, Zimmer and two of the local long-shot freeholder candidates provided the more serious speeches tonight.

Lance, for his part, mentioned that he’s campaigned in every one of Union County’s towns – including the heavily Democratic ones that keep this county solidly in that party's column.

Lance said that he would continue the tradition of outgoing U.S. Rep. Mike Ferguson (R-Warren) and former U.S. Rep. Bob Franks.

“To be specific just briefly: fiscal responsibility. I do not believe we should be raising taxes anywhere in America, particularly given the economic downturn. I believe we have a moral responsibility to the next generation… to make sure we try to balance our federal budget,” he said.

No mention was made of Stender during Lance’s speech, but he did proudly proclaim his political affiliation, which is sometimes not mentioned in his campaign ads. Nor did Lance invoke President Bush, who to Democrats’ glee came into New Jersey to raise money for him and fellow Congressional candidate Chris Myers. Instead, he went back a bit further.

“On Tuesday evening, together we march forward… in the views that we share – views that make us Republicans,” he said. “Views that go back to the time of Abraham Lincoln, the first Republican president, who said in 1862 -- words that are still true today -- that America is mankind’s last and best hope on earth. And it’s in that tradition that I run for Congress.”

After Lance, Zimmer took the stage. He sought to make the beleaguered Union County Republicans proud, even if it reminded them of how long it’s been since New Jersey Republicans won a U.S. Senate seat. He noted that the state’s last Republican U.S. Senator, Clifford P. Case, was a Union County native. Case’s last re-election was in 1972.

Zimmer then went into his usual stump speech about how much money New Jersey gives to the federal government versus how much it gets back, arguing that his opponent, Sen. Frank Lautenberg, is a loser in the “pork barrel game.”

He did, however, add a couple sharp barbs about rumors surrounding Lautenberg’s primary residence, which the senator claims as a Cliffside Park condo but critics argue is really his wife’s Manhattan apartment. At one point, he said that “whether [Lautenberg’s] home is in New Jersey is questionable,” and shortly later, referring to the beneficiaries of the bailout package, mentioned that much of the money was going to neighbors of “Frank Lautenberg’s principle residence on Park Avenue.”

Lautenberg spokeswoman Julie Roginsky disputed Zimmer’s claims.

“Frank Lautenberg’s been living in New Jersey all his life except when he was wearing our nation’s uniform at war,” she said. “And I guess Dick Zimmer’s Hail Mary pass is another sign of the desperation he’s shown throughout the campaign.”

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

Comments

The reason for the low attendance..


No one knew about this event..

The county party probably only put out the message to his committee people and to no other groups that could have gotten a turnout.

11/03/08 8:46 am

ouch


Union County chair is embarassing himself and the party. The GOP needs some quality is these positions - not just a lame placeholder. Ouch, it's gotten pretty bad...

11/03/08 9:09 am

Where were the legislators?


Were the D21 legislators there? Probably not there since they couldn't get anything for themselves out of this. Morin does the best he can with a committee mostly made up of old timers and people resigned to losing. Where was Ferguson? Not that he ever was in NJ while he was Congressman but would have been nice of him to show up for the final rally before Lance restores the CD-7 seat to the level Bob Franks had it at. Things are getting tougher out here in Somerset but every time I look east I'm reminded of how good we have it out here.

11/03/08 9:32 am

Zimmer In Bergen


Where has he been - there is a massive 72 GOVT effort going, Zimmer is a relative unknown in Bergen he should ahve been stumping there.

11/03/08 9:44 am

Sloburn on the mark


finally. Ferguson has always been out for one thing and one thing only: Ferguson. Glad to see him go. LD 21 guys just prop up poor Phil Morin by throwing a few bucks to the County GOP every year; just enough to pay for sandwiches and donuts at events like these. Lance is a decent man and has run a good campaign from primary through general. Not my favorite on all the issues, but as Sloburn said, hopefully he will return the seat to the respectability that came with guys like Franks and Rinaldo. Slo, glad to see you are off the Katie Whitman kick for now.

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