STATE SENATE: Democrats pick up one seat, will control Senate 23-17

By Editor | November 6th, 2007 - 11:11pm
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Three incumbent State Senators -- all first termers -- lost bids for re-election: Republicans Nicholas Asselta and James "Sonny" McCullough, and Democrat Ellen Karcher.  With a one-seat pickup, Democrats increase their majority in the State Senate to 23-17.

District 1: Democrat Jeff Van Drew defeated GOP State Sen. Nicholas Asselta by a 56%-44% margin -- a plurality of over 5,000 votes.  Van Drew has served as an Assemblyman since 2002; Asselta spent nine years in the Assembly before running unopposed for the State Senate in 2003.

District 2: Democrat James Whelan defeated GOP State Sen. Sonny McCullough.  Whelan, a one-term Assemblyman and the former Mayor of Atlantic City, becomes the first Democratic Senator from Atlantic County since Steve Perskie left to become a Judge in 1982.  McCullough, the Mayor of Egg Harbor Township, won a Special Election Convention for the Senate in February when Bill Gormley retired after 30 years in the Legislature. 

District 8: Republican Phil Haines defeated Democrat Francis Bodine.  Haines, the Burlington County Clerk, was the easy winner of Bodine, a veteran Assemblyman who switched parties last winter after the GOP declined to support his re-election.  Haines won with 61% -- a margin of over 10,000 votes.  He will replace GOP Sen. Martha Bark, who did not run for re-election.

District 11: Republican Assemblyman Sean Kean defeated Democrat John Villapiano, a former Assemblyman, by a 63%-37% margin.  Kean will take the seat of GOP Sen. Joseph Palaia, who is retiring after 26 years in Trenton.

District 12: Republican Jennifer Beck defeated Democratic State Sen. Ellen Karcher by a 54%-46% margin.  Karcher won the seat four years ago when she ousted Co-Senate President John Bennett.  Beck went to the Assembly in 2005 after defeating incumbent Robert Morgan.

District 14: Republican Assemblyman Bill Baroni defeated Democrat Seema Singh, the former state Ratepayer Advocate, by a 63%-37% margin.  Republican Sen. Peter Inverso did not seek re-election to a sixth term.

District 29: Democrat Teresa Ruiz, with 57% of the vote, takes the Senate seat being vacated by Sharpe James, the former Mayor of Newark who faces federal corruption charges.  She defeated Independents William Payne, an Assemblyman (and the brother of Rep. Donald Payne), and Newark City Councilman Luis Quintana, who each received 19%.

District 39: Republican Gerald Cardinale was re-elected,to a ninth term, defeating Democrat Joseph Ariyan by a 55%-45% margin.

Five safe seat State Senators were held to under 60% of the vote:

Democrat Stephen Sweeney defeated Republican Mark Cimino by a 57%-40% margin.

Republican Diane Allen won 56%-44% over Democrat Richard Dennison, a lawyer and undertaker who worked in the Clinton White House. 

Democrat Raymond Lesniak won 59% in a three-way race against Republican Linda Gaglione (27%) and Independent Stanley Moskal (14%). 

Democrat Nicholas Scutari, who was among the legislators subpoenaed by federal prosecutors in the Christmas Tree budget probe, won 57%-43% over former Somerset County Freeholder Rose McConnell, who spent just $100 on her campaign.

Democrat Paul Sarlo won 57%-43% against Republican Michael Guarino, a former Bergen County Health Inspector.

 

Surprise

No surprise in 1 and 2. Very surprising in 12, thought it would be closer

Where Is Marty??

Love you Phil!

More Cowbell Please !!

SJRED

More of the same for these POOR DUMB BAS_ _ _ _ _! in the 1st and 2nd, unemployment and no class just the same old STUPIDITY for being abused.

They deserve it and all they will get, I hope they "ALL FEEL THE PAIN".

Sean Kennedy Top 10

Top 10 things Sean Kennedy was overheard saying after the Burlington County Democrats Devastating Loss on Tuesday Night

10. (Phone call to Bill Layton) Hello…Bill…This is Sean, would you believe me if I told you I was kidding?

09. Guys, I was misquoted by Cindy Burton. I told her I was heading up Republicans for Phil Haines.

08. Guess I should call in sick tomorrow, Rich Maser is going to be pissed at me for writing all those checks and having nothing to show for it except pissed off Republicans.

07. (Phone call to Steve Ayscue) Hello Steve…It’s Sean…Sean Kennedy…Hello…Hello…Steve…Are you there?

06. Does this mean I won’t be playing golf at Pine Valley?

05. Hey Fran, thank God I’m still a Republican!

04. Maybe I should make a play for Chairman of the Burlington County Democrats. I am smarter than everyone else.

03. God, these Democrats actually make Warner look like a genius!

02. I guess “Win This One For Martha” was a stronger slogan than we thought?

01. (Phone call to Harry Kennedy) Hello, Dad…its Sean…Think you can call Glenn tomorrow and smooth things over for me?

Republicans should support Codey Coup...

Codey has sucked as Senate president. Higher taxes, jacked up spending, joke ethics reforms, school funding that supports Abbotts, and soon to jam through the toll road gimmick. Senate Rs should get together and support Barabara Buono or some other suburban democrat who will rpomise to pass meaningful ethics reforms, reduce spending, and kill the toll road gimmick. Enough of Codey.

ABHAHAHAHAHAHA

WeWon do ya think Perr will still have his job?

Very funny! Payback is well, you know

More Cowbell Please !!

Guarino embarrasses Sarlo

Senator Paul Sarlo lost much of his political base in southern Bergen County when Republican Mike Guarino, running a shoestring campaign with only half a shoelace, kept Sarlo to less than 60% of the vote.

This can be interpreted as nothing less than a total embarrassment for the brash young Senator whose own self-importance can only remind most political veterans of the same characteristics once found in the former Congressman and U.S. Senator, Robert Torricelli.

Republican Mike Guarino is well known as a local gadfly in the region. Sarlo was upstaged by a gadfly with no resources.

What does that say about this guy who thinks he is a "player" in Trenton?  

 

On The Waterfront since 1954

MARTY, WHERE ARE YOU?

TELL US WHAT HAPPENED, SMARTY MARTY. BODINE AND DENNISON LOST!!!

Check in his man bag

Marty climbed into his manbag - He looked scared. I hear Dennison is in there with him.

MARTIN ONE?????????

HHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
Didn't we all tell ya so??????????

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

LOSER!!!!!!!

State senate

Congratulations to the Allen campaign for their victory yesterday. I'm very proud of Dennison and hope that he will run again for political office.

Jkasko, who was trounced in Camden County a few years ago when running for freeholder, and I both live in the same district. Congrats are in order for Adler, Lampitt, and Greenwald for another victory based on their strong record.

In the big picture, Dems gained a senate seat, so a little celebration is in order. Surely, Republicans don't consider it a "victory" to hold onto previous seats and lose one in the senate.

The Hammer and Sickle

Districts 1-6 now all D: Welcome to the People's Republic of South Jersey!

Perr and Kennedy

Good move guys.

As I have always said - Perr was in the right place at the right time. Expect the rank and file Dems as well as state leaders to bounce Perr out of any authority. Spending $2.5M and getting trounced by an underfunded opposition - A true jerk officially exposed.

Kennedy, well, his "brilliance" was demonstrated over and over again in this campaign. To try and count all the mistakes he has made during this campaign would take years. He is going to lose his job over this - just like he lost his friends.

You reap what you sow.

King of the backtrack

For all of his bluster, Marty is certainly the King (or put in another royal title at your own discretion) of the Backtrack. "My guys got their butts handed to them despite my pontificating, yet I continue to believe that there is a 'trend' going on here." LOL. What a joke. Diane handled Dennison easily. Haines CRUSHED Bodine - Frannie, can I play PV, too? And despite what you think, Adler's win was not that impressive. He ran against someone who had no money, no support, and no name recognition - and he is running for Congress. The GOP turnout in Burlington and in Ocean are telling. Adler is in for a long year.

Hey Marty

Glad to hear your very proud of your boy richie, we all are. He managed to give diane her biggest margin of victory ever. He wasn't even able to win his own hometown, even Propp and Griffin won in Florence. But I guess if you have to try and find a bright spot, he did win in 2 out of the 17 towns in the district (not by much but, a win is a win).

And once more, since it takes several times for things to get through to you, I'm NOT a republican or a democrate, just a voter. This had NOTHING to do with politics, it was completely personal. Had it not been, I , like the majority of voters wouldn't have even bothered going to the polls yesterday. The only reason I went was to vote AGAINST your boy richie.

Hopefully you had the election night get together at his funeral home so you didn't have to go too far to bury his political career. After proving what a loose cannon he is, I doubt  many people will be anxious to be on a ticket with him in the future

To: Ellen From:

To: Ellen From: Dino

 

 

 

"I can remember way back when a liberal was one who was generous with his own money."- Will Rogers

MARTYONE

Like any good political hack, Marty tries to spin this one his way. But, like any bad political hack, it is as transparent as he is. Yes the R's lost a seat in the Senate, but what was telling about the evening was the ineffectiveness of all the party boss money throughout the state. The D's spent MILLIONS!!!!! All that money for nothing. What this does prove is tht upon redistricting there will be a massive swing. Believe me, after two more years of Corzine's bumbling and the Democrat Legislatures failure to get any substantive goals accomplished the people will speak...loud and clear.

VOTERS SPOKE

Bottom line, Marty was and is his own worse enemy. We all spoke here honestly, angrily and with facts to back up what we said, but Marty could not and would not engage in any of it.

Ignorance is bliss, but reality can bite you in the heine if not carefull.

More Cowbell Please !!

YOU A LOSER Marty

What did you do for your boy Richie last night?? Tuck him in his bed? Read him a Dem fairytale? Slip him in his Doctor Dentons and poweder his behind?? Promise him that you will slay the evil Diane Allen and all those evil GOP that won??

Marty for all your shit stirring, did you ever once realize that GOP does prevail? Not ONE DEM won any of those hotely contest races with all the money that was put in??

AND WHERE IS RONALD LUVITZ??

COME ON RONALD, WHERE ARE YOU?

More Cowbell Please !!

Blame me GOPGAL

Ronald Luvitz is busy working the grill for me. I hired him because it seemed that he had too much time on his hands. BTW I didn't give Yesterday off to work for Dennison.

BAHAHA TY RONALD

I guess Dennison can stuff himself with all the happy meals he wants courtesy of Ronald huh?

More Cowbell Please !!

GIVE MARTIN A BREAK....

Let's all give Marty a break.  It was a sad day for his guys Bodine and Dennison (and a few others) and a good day for his heroes John Adler and Lou Greenwald.  He may be feeling confused about feeling like a winner and/or loser at the same time.

I do have to say, Marty:  Who gives a cr*p about me "running for freeholder" a few years ago? Even I don't! That was 6 elections ago. For the record, I didn't technically "run" for that office. One of the Republican candidates had a family/job change that required her to move out of state, so I was asked to "fill in" for her (before the "old" pre-Toricelli legal deadline in September), in order that both the Dem and Rep. tickets would appear with two candidates each on the ballot, giving the voters a choice (I believe you'v even advocated that's a good thing). I went back and forth about serving as a sacrificial lamb, but in the end decided it was the right and good thing to do.

I had no illusions or dreams about winning a freehooder race in Camden County in 2002.  I did some campaigning, a debate, the editorial boards, etc. and spoke intelligently about county government and how it could be better in Camden County. I didn't expect to win, but what I did expect was that the Camden Democrat machine would respond (which they did), not completely take us for granted (sometimes they do, sometimes they don't), and that I would move the needle a few points in our direction.

Anyway you want to put it, I have no regrets about getting "trounced" by the opposing party machine in a county election. It was a great experience and I would recommend it to you or anyone else that really wants to try and make a difference.

So enough of your unrelated, negative personal political put-downs when your are responding about the story above. Let's get back to what I thought was going to be discussed here -- what happened to your guys Bodine and Dennison? You are big supporters of them and we're all interested in hearing your "spin" on it.

And, BTW, the "anemic" Republican party (Marty's term) here in Camden County was able to pull off some nice local wins in Lawnside (even I'm shocked by that), Haddon Heights, Berlin Boro, and a very close almost-win in Cherry Hill!  So much for the "trending Blue" theory.  Sometimes politics is local, remember?  It's not always about national or even state trends, issues and personalities.

Finally, BTW -- the "Top Ten" post about Sean Kennedy is funny as hell!

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