Sabrin teams up with Murphy and Penna in 3rd District

A team of unlikely Republican allies surfaced in Ocean and Burlington counties today as the U.S. Senate campaign of Murray Sabrin merged with the 3rd District Congressional candidacy of Justin Murphy of Burlington, and freeholder candidate Suzanne Penna of Ocean.

"We have been organizing for the better part of two days," said Sabrin campaign spokesman George Ajjan, who would not comment on the specifics of the Sabrin-Murphy-Penna alliance or on slates his candidate is pulling together in other districts.

Penna of Berkeley Township originally intended to run for Congress in the 3rd District Republican Primary. Her candidacy would have created an Ocean County alternative to organizational candidate Freeholder Jack Kelly.

In Burlington, Murphy has presented himself as the alternative to the Burlington County Republican Organization-endorsed Chris Myers of Medford. Now he believes he can compete in Ocean, the district's other large county. 

Rather than split the race four ways among themselves and Kelly and Myers, Murphy and Penna agreed to team up in Ocean. Penna, a freeholder candidate who garnered 37% of the vote in a loss last year, this time accepted the lone freeholder slot while Murphy will continue as the alternative Republican congressional candidate.

"We looked at the entire picture and decided there was no way we could be competitive in terms of money," Penna said.

"The issue is can you cross a county line," said Murphy, a former Tabernacle committeeman. "Myers and Kelly cancel each other out in Burlington and Ocean. I am the only congressional candidate who can be competitive in both counties."

Today, Sabrin joined the emerging slate.

"The only way to make this state better is to get rid of the bosses," said Penna. "Now we have a greater chance with this being a three-way race."

As things stand in Ocean right now, Kelly would appear on the line with Senate candidate Andy Unanue. Burlington is in a holding position with regard to the senate race.

Kelly referred to an article in today's Press of Atlantic City as he downplayed the potential impact of a Murphy-Penna alliance. In the piece, Murphy refuses to disclose how much money he has raised to date, as Myers reveals he has $334,000 raised and $288,000 on hand, and Kelly says he has $306,000 raised and $281,000 on hand. 

"If I am correct, Murphy is well known in Burlington," said Kelly. "He's not well known in Ocean. He will have a hard time getting his message out if he doesn't have much money. He's up against a tough challenge."

Chris Russell, a spokesman for the Myers campaign, said the teaming of Penna and Murphy amounts to a wash in terms of impact on Myers’s candidacy.

"If he hooks up with Penna, that’s good for Murphy," said Russell. "She made a credible run for freeholder. We’re not at all concerned about it."

Russell believes the votes Penna picks up in her native Toms River and elsewhere will drain Kelly in Ocean almost as uniformly as Murphy will leech into Myers’s GOP support in Burlington.