Amid GOP leadership uproar, Lucas says he won't budge

Despite a growing chorus of GOP leaders disgusted by racist remarks police said he made, embattled Republican candidate Lee Lucas today refused to back out of his District 3 Assembly race. 

"It's not even a consideration, and I hope I make their blood boil," Lucas told PolitickerNJ.com. "I'm messing with the Republican leadership. I'm not only not going anywhere, I'm having fun. I'm doing the irish jig."

On learning that he used the N-word in 2006, State Republican Party Chairman Jay Webber, Assembly Minority Leader Alex DeCroce (R-Parsippany) and Gloucester County GOP Chairman Bill Fey all asked Lucas to immediately abort his run.

But the commercial cooking equipment repairman who defeated GOP establishment candidates Arthur Marchand and Gibbstown Mayor George Shivery in the June 2nd primary in this 2-1 Democratic district, said there's no way.

"I have a lot of supporters, I get a lot of phone calls of support - of course, they're all scared," Lucas said. "This is a mountainous wave of propaganda.

"Absolutely not at all am I a racist although the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored Persons) is saying I am," added the candidate. "The NAACP has outlived their usefulness. I'm not for profiling, but we're getting to the point where you can't even pull a black over anymore. The policy of inclusion has turned Republican leadership into fiscal librals and they have forsaken middle class people and cast aside principles of their party.

"Who hasn't said the N-word?" Lucas asked. "The NAACP is now running the Gloucester County Republican Club. I want to speak at some of the Republican clubs. ...I'm losing the inteligensia, which i intended to provoke from the beginning. But the average person agrees with me."

Lucas acted surprised when told that National GOP Chairman Michael Steele - an African-American - campaigned in his home county today. He stopped short of saying he believes an outraged Republican leadership is using him and his situation to exorcise any public peception of his party's intolerance, but does believe this sets up an opportunity for them. 

"It is a big move and the things I've said - I've pushed it a little bit," said Lucas. "This is a big move to get minorities to vote for Republicans, yes, I believe it is. But let me be clear. I would want minorities to vote for Republicans, do you understand? I would have no problem campaigning with Michael Steele, if he would have me. I had to work today. Couldn't make it. My problem is Republican leaders don't want to bring out the fact that there is a struggle for the fittest in business. (By not adopting stricter stances against the Abbott School Decision and the Council on Affordable Housing) "they are condeming the American economic system as being too brutal. this is the best way."

Explaining his rejection of Abbott as a means of protecting every child's Constitutional right to an education, Lucas said of inner city students, "It's hopeless, I'm giving up on them. Their parents need to start taking responsibility for them. Why can't they work harder? Why can't they stay out of jail?"

Lucas wouldn't divulge who he supported for governor in the Republican Primary, saying only that he liked and disliked aspects of both Chris Christie and Steve Lonegan.