War of endorsements in 5th District

By Matt Friedman, PolitickerNJ.com Reporter

Former presidential candidates Steve Forbes and Rudy Giuliani have endorsed U.S. Rep. Scott Garrett for re-election.

It’s a war of endorsements in the 5th District today.

U.S. Rep. Scott Garrett’s (R-Wantage) campaign just rolled out its second big name election eve endorsement: publishing tycoon Steve Forbes.

Forbes, a New Jersey native, kept his endorsement brief.

“I’ve known Scott for years. He’s a fiscal conservative who puts taxpayers before big government,” he said in a statement. “Congress needs more common-sense leaders like him.”

Like Rudy Giuliani, who made a statement on behalf of Garrett earlier today, Forbes once sought the Republican nomination for president – in 1996.

That drew a sarcastic response from Garrett rival Dennis Shulman’s campaign manager, Jeff Hauser.

“Garrett's earth-shattering endorsement from Steve Forbes, who almost but not quite earned a delegate per million dollars of his father's money he spent running for President, indicates that Garrett is seeking to shore up his base of support. What's is Garrett's base? People like Forbes and Garrett who inherited millions upon millions of dollars in cash or fake farms,” he said before pointing out that school children in Garrett’s home town voted for Shulman in a mock election, 350-250.

“And while those school children are nowhere near as wealthy as Forbes, Mayor Bloomberg is actually wealthier -- and earned it himself,” he said.

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

Related topics: Steve Forbes, Scott Garrett, NJ-5, Jeff Hauser, Dennis Shulman

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