SCOTCH PLAINS - He came into Linda Stender’s backyard tonight with a target on his back in the form of George W. Bush and the whispered mention of "no money" trailing him, less than a week before the president is scheduled to headline a private fundraiser for Leonard Lance in Colts Neck.

Politicians have to face ironies in their lives, and this might be Lance’s peculiar little irony to battle as he faces general election opponent Assemblywoman Linda Stender (D-Fanwood) in this 7th Congressional district contest.

Despite the fact that the Sierra Club ranks the senator from Hunterdon County as the most environmentally-friendly legislator in the state, despite his reputation as an unaffected moderate, Stender with each remark in their debate at the Jewish Community Center tried to make Lance pay for his membership in the same party as the almost bottomed-out president.

It’s the same tactic her campaign has used on cable television.

If you live in the district, you’re likely to catch an advertisement harnessing Lance to Bush: the fact that he receives some of his campaign dollars from the oil companies; the cruel reality of his having to resort to the upcoming fundraiser after his bruising primary.

The war. The war. The war.

Lance tried to spin that around on Stender tonight.

"I supported the surge in Iraq, which has proved to be a success, while Linda Stender did not," he said.

He had a few supporters in the crowd. Former Summit Councilwoman Kelly Hatfield said he made it look easy. Clearly his command of foreign policy was in evidence, she said.

But most of the applause was for Stender. She lives in Fanwood, right next door to Scotch Plains. Stender’s people made their opponents pay for that fact tonight.

Apparently the agreement was that supporters weren’t allowed to make big public displays of affection for either candidate. But coming in here there were youngsters at the corner waving "Linda Stender for Congress" signs and inside Lance’s campaign manager, Amanda Woloshen, was rolling her eyes.

"They’re breaking the rules," Woloshen said.

With big money raised in this campaign - a couple million plus, easy - Stender laid on a Bush barrage all night. The president has led the country on a radical departure from its own values. Lance supported him, therefore Lance is culpable. He supported the war. He’s arguing for fiscal discipline. But he backed Bush and Bush’s policies. Central argument.

For at least one member of audience in this Republican-leaning district, the Bush-Lance link won’t work.

"I was a Republican, now I’m independent," said David Golosh of Westfield. "I got disgusted with Bush. What bothered me about him? How about everything? The war. The fact that he doesn’t understand the economy."

Will Bush stop him from backing Lance?

"No," said Golosh. "I believe Leonard Lance is nonpartisan, and I would be comfortable voting for him over someone from the Union County Democratic Party. I frankly have little confidence in anyone from the Union County Democratic Party. I think Leonard Lance always tries to do the right thing."

Conservative Republican blogger Michael Illions of Iselin reluctantly said he had to support Lance.

"He once again showed how he is truly a moderate and shows how he really doesn’t differ from Linda Stender on the issues," Illions said. "But on foreign policy, Linda Stender showed ignorance and for that reason Leonard Lance came out on top tonight."

For Illions, it came back to that issue of whether or not the president should be allowed to negotiate with the president of Iran. Stender says yes; Lance no. For Illions, big difference.

It’s the same issue that Hillary Clinton tried to use to gain traction against Barack Obama in the Democratic Primary. Obama said he would be willing to negotiate in the Middle East - without pre-conditions. Clinton said no way.

But landing in the middle of a race to convince independent voters, it’s still Bush who’s going to be here on Monday in support of Lance, prompting much off-the-record gritting of teeth in Republican quarters.

Why should Leonard Lance, of all people, have to resort to that? Why is he even in this position?

And that’s when the grumbling usually starts about Kate Whitman. Her aggressive, well-connected primary campaign dumped close to $500,000 on top of Lance, keeping him pinned down all season and virtually broke at the end of a bloody intra-party scuffle, with $80,000 on hand.

And for what? For what?

To give more ammo to Stender and her booming campaign operations, who again wound up in yet another answer to a question and punished Lance for backing Bush? And now Bush is going to be in town on Monday to raise money for Lance. Does it even matter anymore that he’s a moderate?

"Why did she do it?" a Republican elected official asked off-the-record today, referring to Whitman’s precocious double-digit loss to Lance, the tone in his voice close to hopelessness.

Confronted after the debate, Lance wouldn’t talk money. His campaign has stayed on offense. They’ve sent out release after release, criticizing Stender for accepting up to $71,000 in campaign contributions from embattled U.S. Rep. Charlie Rangel (D-NY), chair of the House Ways and Means Committee.

He’s going to talk issues now. Later, money.

"We have a fundraiser next week," he said.

It’s that one on Monday.

When it comes to money, he wouldn’t talk specifics. Only that, and here Lance’s voice was insistent, "We’re going to be competitive."