State Sen. Leonard Lance (R-Hunterdon): Politicker file photo
It’s Rangel versus Bush in the 7th Congressional District, where apparently voters will ultimately have to decide which of these two is the more toxic campaign sugar daddy.
Roll Call reports that Freedom’s Watch, a hard-right group founded in part by former Bush spokesman Ari Fleischer, has purchased $500,000 in ad time for 7th District Republican candidate state Sen. Leonard Lance (R-Hunterdon).
That makes the money they’re dumping into New Jersey’s 7th District, Freedom Watch’s largest expenditure for any single race, according to the Washington D.C.-based newspaper.
Struggling to raise money after a tough primary, Lance turned to President George W. Bush this week for a private fundraiser in Colts Neck. Lance wants to gain traction in his fight with big money candidate Assemblywoman Linda Stender (D-Fanwood).
But Bush - purveyor of the Iraq War, buck stop to an administration that rose slowly in response to Hurricane Katrina, and diehard trumpeter of tax cuts for upper income earners, etc. - is a compromise that’s simply too much for the Stender team to bear.
"It’s not surprising that more Bush cronies are trying to rescue Leonard Lance’s flailing campaign," said Stender communications director Irene Lin. "After eight years of failed economic policies that have now led to Wall Street’s collapse, George Bush and his deep-pocketed cronies will do everything they can to make sure they have a reliable rubber-stamp for their agenda in the 7th District seat.
"Leonard Lance supports Bush and Republicans in Washington on everything from risky schemes to privatize Social Security to giving billions in tax breaks to Big Oil while we pay more at the pump," Lin added. "We clearly need change in Washington, and Linda Stender’s promise to fight for middle class tax cuts, invest in energy independence, and end the war in Iraq obviously has many Bush cronies worried."
The Stender campaign’s complaints about Bush have kept the Lance people continuously hammering away at Stender’s weak link in the fundraising food chain: U.S. Rep. Charles Rangel (D-NY), chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee.
An officially embattled politician since the summertime, Rangel admitted that he earned more than $75,000 of undeclared income from a Dominican Republic villa, and also did not list his sweetheart rent-stabilized apartment deal in financial disclosure reports.
"It has been more than two months since Rangel hosted a fundraising fete for Linda Stender and nine other candidates for Congress," said Lance manager Amanda Woloshen. "According to reports, Stender has taken $71,062.79 from Rep. Charlie Rangel – the most money taken from Rangel by any candidate running for Congress.
"In 2006, Linda Stender called on her opponent to return campaign contributions from members of Congress under ethical clouds. Yet despite reports that other Democrats are returning Rangel’s money, Stender the Spender refuses to comment and continues to keep Rangel’s more than $71,000 in dirty campaign contributions."
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Score this one for Stender.
Every day that Leonard Lance isn't tying Stender to Corzine is a good day for the Stender campaign.
not so fast Mountaintop...
http://www.politickernj.com/lance-congress/23844/stender-still-silent-co...
I see releases like this of Politicker everyday. it's just the NJ press is in hibernation.
Not a good day for Stender...
The announcement of a $500,000 media purchase by Freedom's Watch comes after Democratic candidates around the country are starting to give back Rangel money. I think the list included Obama but I could be wrong.
Not going to work...
Lance has enough prior name recognition and history to be known well enough that he isn't a clone of George W. Bush.
The Stender campaign outright lies when they say ""Leonard Lance supports Bush and Republicans in Washington on everything from risky schemes to privatize Social Security to giving billions in tax breaks to Big Oil while we pay more at the pump"
Last I checked Lance is against privatizing Social Security..but alas Stender the Spender is desperate because she knows that the voters aren't dumb enough to equate Lance, a verrrry very moderate Republican, to Bush.
Democrat strategy this year is to hope the voters are just that stupid to think every Republican is Bush and Bush is on the ballot again.
I don't think it'll work as well as they hope.
double post
n/t
It's the ECONOMY
True moderate Republicans and independents will recognize that it IS time for a change and that any Republican in Congress will only empower the reactionary Republican leadership, and will support a common sense Democrat.
As this economy gets worse, as our federal deficits get out of control, as the results of Bush/Cheney Republican "Cowboy Capitalism" affect Main Street, people will realize that Republicans talking about fiscal conservation have zero veracity.
Lance can thank Ferguson.
Fire that photographer...
Why does politickernj.com have such *bad* pictures?
Mountaintop Clearly didn't read the article
I don't know what the hell stender linking with corzine has anything to do with this article?
Try reading first before posting unrelated comments.
No one cares about Rangel
People in New Jersey care about Corzine, not Rangel. If Leonard Lance had any positions that differed from Stender then he could run an issue oriented campaign instead of one that comes off as a personal attack. The liberals will all vote for Linda Stender. Lance's campaign tells conservatives on a daily basis not to vote for him. A lot of conservatives I know in the 7th figure that if Lance loses Stender will go down in 2010 once a real Republican is nominated. That this seat is even in play says more about Ferguson and Lance than Stender. This district should be as safe as Garrett's.