January 21, 2009 - 10:39am
News

Christie romps in Camden GOP straw poll

Former U.S. Attorney Chris Christie, with Scotch Plains Mayor Nancy Malool, at a GOP mixer earlier this month.

Former U.S. Attorney Chris Christie won a “non-binding” straw poll conducted by the Camden County Republican Committee (CCRC) at last night’s county committee meeting, according to a release issued by the CCRC. 

The four Republican gubernatorial candidates appeared on the ballot and the results were overwhelmingly favorable to Christie, who received 77% to former Bogota Mayor Steve Lonegan’s 23%.  

Assemblyman Rick Merkt (R-Mendham) and Franklin Township Mayor Brian D. Levine did not receive any votes. 

“Last night’s results show that Chris Christie has a strong base of support in South Jersey,” said Rick DeMichele, chairman of the Camden County GOP. “We wanted to have as much input as possible from our county committee heading into the endorsement process, and we found that Chris Christie has genuine grassroots support in the heart of South Jersey. 

“Camden County is going to be critical in this year’s election, and we’re excited about the opportunity to help elect a new Republican governor this year,” DeMichele added.

Max Pizarro is a PolitickerNJ.com Reporter and can be reached via email at max@politicsnj.com.