Assembly Minority Leader Alex DeCroce (R-Parsippany) named Assemblyman David Wolfe (R-Brick Township) to the Budget Committee today.

Wolfe replaces state Sen. Marcia Karrow (R-Raritan), who was elevated from the Assembly earlier this month to replace U.S. Rep. Leonard Lance (R-Clinton) in the state senate. 

State Sen. Joe Kyrillos, a former GOP State Chairman, will serve as chairman of Chris Christie's campaign for Governor.

State Sen. Joseph Kyrillos will serve as Chairman of Christopher Christie's campaign for the Republican nomination for Governor, and four of the five Republicans in the state congressional delegation will serve as Co-Chairmen.

U.S. Reps. Christopher Smith (R-Hamilton), Frank LoBiondo (R-Vineland), Rodney Frelinghuysen (R-Harding) and Leonard Lance (R-Clinton) are also part of Christie's statewide leadership team.

"I am honored to stand with Chris Christie in his noble fight to bring genuine reform to New Jersey," said Kyrillos, who served as GOP State Chairman from 2001 to 2004.   "There is no doubt that Chris Christie will unify not only our party, but all New Jerseyans.  This team speaks to his regional and ideological appeal all across the state." 

Smith called Christie "a man of honor, integrity, and backbone."

"He has the skills and ability to lead our state during this time of turmoil and economic struggle," said Smith, a Congressman since 1981.

Assembly Republican Leader Alex DeCroce says “nothing would please me more” if the White House report predicting that the Obama administration’s economic stimulus plan would create 106,000 new jobs in New Jersey becomes reality.

“But I think this is doubtful as long as Governor Corzine continues to resist sensible ideas that would help businesses weather the economic crisis and leave more money in the pockets of the taxpayers,” said DeCroce, R-Morris and Passaic. “If anything, New Jersey unemployment numbers will grow as more businesses fail and companies continue to shed hundreds, even thousands, of jobs in a desperate effort to survive.”

Republican fundraiser Joseph Caruso said today that he's "99 percent" sure he's going to mount a primary campaign for a 40th District assembly seat, although pushback from Republican leaders has frustrated his time table.

Caruso said that it's most likely a go if he can get $50,000 on hand by the middle of February, and plans a cocktail reception at his Wayne home this weekend to help meet that goal.

"I'm still doing what I was doing before - seeing how much money I can raise, how much support I can get on the ground, and just really digging through the numbers and making sure it's feasible," he said.  " I'm pretty much there.  I thought I would have more time than I have.

State Sen. Kevin O'Toole (R-Cedar Grove)

Insiders lay out several battlefields this year, and Republican or Democrat, it’s not two or three gulps of beer into a conversation before they spill the strategic terrain of the coming legislative contests.

The Democrats will put money into 1 to defend their incumbents there, and they will try to take down the Republican incumbents in 2. They’ll play in 8 again largely as a diversionary tactic, defend in 14 and – and this is big - heavily fortify 36, where the GOP last time came within 2,400 votes of stripping the Dems of a seat.

Representatives in both parties usually mention the last of these prospective showdowns as the most meaningful, a potential north Jersey version of the 12th District Karcher-Beck war in 2007, where both parties will likely lay down their heaviest barrage.

For the moment, Democrats feel they have some GOP civil war drama on their side, and are gleefully inclined to let the Republican body count mount at this fractious tri-county, multi-ego crossroads of Passaic, Bergen and Essex, before they get in and scrap in earnest to protect Assemblyman Fred Scalera (D-Nutley) and Assemblyman Gary Schaer (D-Passaic).

Better to let the other side give itself a good going over before taking casualties. That’s the attitude.

Senate Minority Leader Tom Kean, Jr., (R-Union), left; and state Sen. Kevin O'Toole, GOP chairman of Essex County and chair of the GOP chairs.

PRINCETON – It didn’t look like a scene of devastation – or of a coming battle.

In the swank lobby of the Hyatt Regency, water tumbled over rocks and splashed into a pool, where Koi fish gaped up at a swiftly striding figure heading toward a crew of young, BlackBerry-thumbing operatives at the far end of a long, carpeted corridor.

On his way to the Republican Party chairmen’s dinner, Chris Christie took several questions before an aide steered him toward his destination: a room in which 15 of the party’s 21 chair people and party leaders waited to assess the merits of the former U.S. Attorney and three other Republican candidates for governor a month in front of the first county convention in Union.

Like a lot of his colleagues, Ocean County Republican Chairman George Gilmore personally thinks Christie gives his party the best shot at rebirth.

“I will be endorsing Chris Christie,” he said, against the nagging back story of former Bogota Mayor Steve Lonegan, who for months has aggressively organized a grassroots effort in the likely event he’s unable to scale the walls of the establishment at a majority of the party’s nominating conventions.

CORZINE SAYS HE WELCOMES IDEAS ABOUT HOW TO RESOLVE NJ's FINANCIAL MESS

WANT TO SEND HIM A MESSAGE? NOW YOU CAN!

            During his State of the State address to the Legislature last week, Gov. Jon S. Corzine said he is receptive to "intellectually honest" ideas about how to address New Jersey economic crisis and chronic budget problems.

            "My door is always open to anyone who is seriously interested in putting good ideas, intellectually honest ideas, on the table," the governor said.

            Is it really? Just in case this is another instance of a disconnect between Gov. Corzine's rhetoric and reality, New Jersey Assembly Republicans are making it possible to actually deliver a message to the governor.

            Just go to NJAssemblyRepublicans.com and click on the blue box that says "Fight Back! Let Corzine Know You Won't Pay for His Mistakes." That will take you to a page where you can describe how New Jersey's worsening economy and seven years of rising taxes, tolls and fees have affected you. You can share your thoughts about what the governor and Legislature should do balance the state budget without inflicting more financial pain on the taxpayers.

            We will collect your stories and suggestions and send them to the governor before the Legislature votes on a new budget. In addition, we will post the best entries (without your name) on our website. Your ideas and recommendations will also be reviewed by our budget analysts and shared with our members serving on the Assembly Budget Committee.

At a packed meeting of the county committee tonight in the Franklin Lakes Firehouse, Bergen County Republican Party Chairman Bob Yudin endorsed incumbent District 40 Assemblymen Scott Rumana and David C. Russo.

Earlier today, Yudin told PolitickerNJ.com that prior to Feb. 2nd he would make a decision about whether he would back the incumbents or candidates backed by former chair Peter Murphy, an ally of former Assembly Majority Leader Paul DiGaetano (R-Passaic).

Tonight, Yudin announced that decision in what was a victory for current Assembly Minority Leader Alex DeCroce (R-Parsippany-Troy Hills), who had feared a primary battle fueled by Yudin's support of candidates other than Rumana and Russo.

Former Assembly Majority Leader Paul DiGaetano has responded to a column by The Record’s Alfred Doblin about Bergen County GOP Chairman Bob Yudin.  Doblin reports that Yudin promised Assembly Minority Leader Alex DeCroce that he would not support any effort to withdraw organization support for Assembly incumbents in District 40 – and that now Yudin is under some pressure to “break his word.”

The full text of DiGaetano’s letter follows:

More importantly however, for Mr. DeCroce to point a gun to the head of Bob Yudin and threaten to withhold money for Assembly races in Districts 36 and 38 is a self-defeating threat and demonstrates that the minority leader is more intent on incumbency protection for the minor party than he is on trying to make the Republican Party a majority party in New Jersey.