Amy Handlin

"Running on the line with Amy in Monmouth County, it would be inappropriate for me to turn around and try to bang her. And in Middlesex I'm running on the line with Joe, so it wouldn't be appropriate for me to bang him either." -- Assemblyman Samuel Thompson, during the 13th district GOP Assembly primary between incumbent Joseph Azzolina and Amy Handlin, April 27, 2005.

In the 2nd district, PoliticsNJ.com has moved Republican Assemblyman Kirk Conover to the Toss-Up column in his bid for re-election to the Assembly, with former Atlantic City Mayor James Whelan the strongest of the two Democratic challengers. GOP incumbent Frank Blee remains in the Leans Republican column. In the 13th district, a movement arrow towards Likely Republican has been added to the Republican candidates, incumbent Sam Thompson and Amy Handlin, a Monmouth County Freeholder who defeated Assemblyman Joseph Azzolina in the GOP primary. They face Democrats William Flynn, a former Assemblyman who is making his fourth comeback bid, and newcomer Michael Dasaro.

The Battle for New Jersey '05

Handlin looks guilty, Democrats say
Claims to be a reformer but takes 'Pay-to-Play' money

Flynn & Dasaro would ban dual-office

DeLay Indictment Hits Home

AMY HANDLIN PRESENTS PLAN TO "CLEAN UP" CLEAN ELECTIONS PROGRAM
13th District Republican Assembly candidate Amy Handlin announces a six-part plan to "clean up" the Clean Election program.

Codey Made the Following Direct Appointments

Sam Thompson signed the "no tax pledge" but his actions speak louder than words.

One bill sponsored by Taxing Thompson would let residents pay taxes with a credit card, thus adding as much as 24 percent to the total cost for strapped taxpayers.

The Clean Elections Law turned out to be a bomb, with only two of the eight possible major party candidates raising enough small campaign contributions to qualify for public financing. Under a test program, each party chose one legislative district for the 2005 election: Democrats picked the sixth district, where their candidates, Louis Greenwald and Pamela Rosen Lampitt, qualified by raising $5,000 in $5 checks and $15,000 in $30 checks. Their GOP opponents, Marc Fleischner and Joann Gurenlian, were unable to due so -- even though Greenwald and Lampitt made a good faith effort to help them. The Republicans chose the 13th district, but their candidates, Sam Thompson and Amy Handlin -- as well as Democrats Bill Flynn and Mike Dasaro -- were unable to qualify.

A deal to switch Democratic Assembly candidates in the 13th district fell through when political newcomer Michael Dasaro rejected an attempt to replace him on their ticket with longtime Republican Assemblyman Joseph Azzolina. Assembly Majority Leader Joseph Roberts, reportedly looking at some poll numbers, wanted the 79-year-old Azzolina, who lost the June GOP primary after a split with party leaders, to run for re-election as a Democrat. Azzolina denies that he is considering another shot against Amy Handlin, the Monmouth Freeholder who defeated him in the primary, saying he spent last week in the hospital. The deadline to change candidates without going to court is 4PM today.