Bob Franks

Manville Mayor Angelo Corradino lost his bid for re-election to a fifth termA bowling alley named Tenpin Lanes stands in the center of Manville, between a pair of Superfund sites that are the remnants of the town’s bulldozed factory era.

The alley for years has been a source of entertainment and relaxation for the hard luck blue collar work force here, and for Angelo Corradino, the borough’s longest serving mayor who straddled the transition Manville made from factories to shopping malls, and who earlier this month lost by 78 votes in his bid for a fifth term in office.

An old high school linebacker and longsuffering Jets and Mets fan who spent 19 years as an elected official in Manville, the past 16 of those as mayor, Corradino says rumors that he wanted to go full time with an annual salary of $95,000 sank his chances of re-election.

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Joseph Minish, who passed away on Saturday at age 91, may be one of the top vote-getters in Essex County history.  He won eleven races for Congress without ever falling below 58% in a district that was potentially competitive for Republicans. 

When Minish first won in 1962, the eleventh district included the Central and West Wards of Newark and suburban (sometimes Republican-leaning) Essex town.  By 1972, Newark was entirely out of his district, and his district included working class (and politically competitive) towns like Belleville, Bloomfield, West Orange, Montclair Hillside, North Arlington and Little Falls, Republican strongholds like the Maplewood and the Caldwells.

Republican presidential candidates carried the eleventh district in four successive elections: Ronald Reagan beat Jimmy Carter by a 50%-40% margin in 1980, Gerald Ford carried it 54%-46% in 1976, Richard Nixon won it 60%-40% over George McGovern in 1972 and by 166 votes over Hubert Humphrey in 1968.  But Reagan, Ford and Nixon had no coattails for Minish’s GOP opponents.

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Kate Whitman, the daughter of former Governor Christine Todd Whitman, is giving serious consideration to a bid for Congress and is speaking with Republican leaders and fundraisers about seeking the open seventh district seat of retiring GOP Rep. Mike Ferguson. GOP insiders say that Whitman could emerge as a formidable candidate for the seat – especially in a crowded primary field.

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Former Rep. Bob Franks won't seek a return to the 7th district House seat being vacated by Mike Ferguson.

 "Representing the people of Central New Jersey in the House of Representatives from 1993 to 2001 was one of the important and rewarding experiences of my life, however I find my work at the HealthCare Institute of New Jersey very fulfilling and I'm enjoying nights and weekends with my family," Franks said. "I have no desire to run for Congress next year."

Franks held the seat for four terms before mounting a nearly successful bid for U.S. Senate in 2000. Outspent by nearly $57 million, Franks lost to Jon Corzine by a 50%-47% margin. Ferguson won a hotly contested primary to replace him. Read More >

PolitickerNJ.com has heard 14 names as possible Republican candidates to run for retiring U.S. Rep Mike Ferguson's seat.

Note: by "in" we just means anyone who has expressed interest.

Who's in

-Assemblyman Jon Bramnick
-State Sen. Leonard Lance
-Former Congressman/U.S. Senate candidate Bob Franks
-Bedminster Committeeman Finn Caspersen, Jr.
-Scotch Plains Mayor Marty Marks
-Former Hillsborough Deputy Mayor Chris Venis
-Assemblyman Peter Biondi
-Warren Township Mayor Victor Sordillo
-Somerset County Freeholder Jack Ciattarelli

Who's out

-State Sen. Tom Kean, Jr.
-Union County Republican Chairman Phil Morin

Who knows?
-Assemblyman/state Sen.-Elect Christopher "Kip" Bateman
-Hunterdon County Freeholder Will Mennen
-Bridgewater Mayor Patty Flannery

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Warren Township Mayor Victor Sordillo is a possible candidate for Congress, says Somerset GOP Chairman Dale FlorioDale Florio, chairman of the Somerset County Republican Party, said he was still stunned by the news today that 7th district U.S. Rep. Mike Ferguson would not pursue re-relection in 2008.

Nonetheless, "I respect his decision to care for a growing family," said Florio, who credited Ferguson with being a good watchdog of taxpayers' dollars and a strong advocate for homeland security.

"He is a good friend and a good congressman," Florio added.

The Somerset County chairman said he's sure there will be some horseplay in the coming days as the party considers its stable of would-be successors.

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Former Hillsborough Deputy Mayor Chris Venis became the first Republican to enter the seventh district House race following Rep. Mike Ferguson’s retirement.

“Every person at some point in their lives has come to a crossroad. A road that will take them to an unknown place: a place full of challenges, and sometimes a place full of huge responsibility. Today it is my turn to choose a path,” Venis said. “Mine is quite simple, to ensure that our children and families have the best opportunity to prosper and live safe healthy lives."

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After Maryanne Connelly won 47% in her 1998 House race against Bob Franks, she immediately launched a 200 rematch.  But when Franks decided to give up his seat after four terms to run for the U.S. Senate, Democrats, sensing an opportunity for a pickup and not believing Connelly was the strongest candidate, instead backed then-Union County Administrator Mike Lapolla for the seat. 

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Rep. Mike Ferguson won't seek re-election in 2008Rep. Mike Ferguson will announce today that he will not seek re-election to a fifth term in 2008. The 37-year-old Republican, who won re-election last year by just 1% against Democratic Assemblywoman Linda Stender, wants to spend more time with his four young children.

Senate Minority Leader-designate Thomas Kean, Jr. becomes one of the most likely GOP candidates for the seat. Kean, the Republican U.S. Senate in 2006, was among the candidates who ran against Ferguson in the 7th district Republican primary in 2000, when Bob Franks gave up the seat to run for the Senate.

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