Brian Levine

Former Bogota Mayor Steve Lonegan trails Gov. Jon Corzine by 4 percentage points, a statistical dead heat, in a Fairleigh Dickinson University poll. The poll has a margin of error of +/- 4%.

While the story of the day is that Republican front runner Christopher Christie leads Democratic Governor Jon Corzine by nine percentage points, it ought not to go unnoticed that another Republican contender is in a statistic dead heat with the incumbent.  In a new Fairleigh Dickinson University poll, Corzine leads former Bogota Mayor Steven Lonegan by just four points, 36%-32%.  A January FDU poll had Corzine leading Christie by seven points, and Lonegan by eighteen points.

Gov. Jon Corzine continues to struggle for the approval of New Jersey voters. He is upside-down, with 40% approval and 46% disapproval.

Former U.S. Attorney Christopher Christie leads Gov. Jon Corzine by nine percentage points, 41%-32%, in a Fairleigh Dickinson University Public Mind poll released this morning.

In a matchup among Republican primary voters, Christie leads former Bogota Mayor Steven Lonegan 43%-15%.  Two other candidates, Franklin Mayor Brian Levine and Assemblyman Rick Merkt (R-Mendham) barely register, at 2% and 1%, respectively.

Corzine’s approval rating is upside-down at 40%-46%.  And the governor has a taken major hit in popularity with public employee households, with only 31% of their members approving of his job performance, while 56% disapprove. 

“When budgets are cut, public employees laid off, and taxes are in danger of being raised, lots of people think twice about their support for the incumbent,” said pollster Peter Woolley.Christie’s name recognition, which the same poll measured at 44% in January, is now 57%.  Lonegan’s statewide name ID is at 33%.

Corzine does come out on top in head-to-head match ups with the other Republican gubernatorial candidates, but not by huge margins, leading Lonegan by four points, 36% to 32%.  He leads Merkt 38% to 28% and Levine 38% to 27%.

Former U.S. Attorney Chris Christie

Republican gubernatorial candidates Chris Christie and Steve Lonegan sparred on the issue of medical marijuana on NJN’s On the Record this weekend, with Lonegan arguing in favor of a bill allowing treatment centers to grow marijuana plants for chronically sick patients, and Christie rejecting the bill in its current form, citing the lack of specific and strict controls.

NJN’s senior political correspondent Michael Aron broached the issue with the candidates on Saturday while taping his show at the Ram’s Head Inn in Galloway Township, which aired on Sunday. 

“It’s a freedom and liberty issue,” said Lonegan, former mayor of Bogota. “If a doctor knows that’s what needs to be prescribed to a suffering patient, I’ve met patients like this, that’s their decision and government should get out of the way.”

Now Christie considered the question. 

Some Democrats say Camden County Freeholder Rodney Greco is a possible candidate for Sandy Love's 4th district Assembly seat.

Democratic sources say that South Jersey Democratic leaders have not yet decided upon a replacement for retiring Assemblywoman Sandra Love, other than geography: the new fourth district candidate will come from Camden County, and very likely from Gloucester Township. 

A major focus of Camden County Democrats will be the race for Gloucester Township Mayor, where a new law has replaced May non-partisan local elections with a partisan contest in November.  Former Assemblyman David Mayer announced last month that he will challenge the Republican incumbent, Cindy Rau-Hatton.

Gloucester Township, with a population of 64,300, is the 18th largest municipality in the state.  Of the state's 25 biggest towns, only seven have Republican mayors: Toms River, Hamilton, Clifton, Brick, Middletown, Franklin, and Gloucester Township.  The mayor of Franklin, Brian Levine, is seeking the 2009 Republican nomination for Governor.

A long list of possible candidates to succeed Love include: Camden County Freeholder Rodney Greco (D-Gloucester Township); former Gloucester Township mayoral candidate Bill Collins; former Acting Camden County Sheriff William Fontanez; Lindenwold Mayor Frank DeLucca; and Gloucester Township Councilmembers Glen Bianchini, Orlando Mercado, Crystal Evans and Ken Garbowski.  Sources say that the four local officials are not likely contenders for the Assembly.

Chris Christie, pictured with wife Mary Pat earlier this month in Somerset County.

CEDAR GROVE - GOP gubernatorial candidate Chris Christie this evening secured the backing of the Essex County Republican Commitee after participating in a screening here with fellow candidates, former Bogota Mayor Steve Lonegan and Franklin Township Mayor Brian D. Levine.

A fourth gubernatorial candidate, Assemblyman Richard Merkt (R-Mendham), did not screen, as he is out of the state on business.  

Cedar Grove toes the north end of Essex with its own Jersey spangle of Italian restaurants, VFW Hall, fire, police, shopping center, town hall, diner, Irish taverns, highway overpass, train tracks, more restaurants and bars, blending equal parts Italian and Irish with the business district edge to Italian cuisine, but the Irish colors everywhere. 

This is the domain of state Sen. Kevin O’Toole (R-Cedar Grove), Essex County’s sole Republican legislator, chair of the Essex County Republican Party, and perennial antagonist of Senate President Richard Codey (D-West Orange), who lives just south of here. 

“It’s the little red corner of the county where I’m allowed,” cracked Rick Shaftan, Lonegan’s campaign strategist, as he pulled up to the banquet hall behind the wheel of a sedan in a county where Democrats own a more than 4-1 edge over the GOP.  

The two leading candidates for the Republican gubernatorial nomination filed for addition public funds with the New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission today.

Former U.S. Attorney Christopher Christie reported raising $137,322, which could bring him additional matching fund of $274,644.  Former Bogota Mayor Steve Lonegan reported $69,820 in new contributions.  The Lonegan campaign estimates that if fully matched, they will receive an additional $139,640 in public funds.

Christie, who has made one previous filing, has already received $760,160 in public financing.  Lonegan has received $553,841 in public funds from his three other filings.

Getty Images Photo

Do lines matter in Bergen County? Paul DiGaetano won the 2005 GOP convention, but Douglas Forrester, above, finished 24 percentage points ahead of him in the primary.

Next up on the Republican gubernatorial campaign schedule: Essex County Republicans will hold a Screening Committee on Tuesday evening to award their organization line.  The favorite to win there is former U.S. Attorney Christopher Christie, who has the support - though not yet officially - of State Sen. Kevin O'Toole (R-Cedar Grove), the Essex County Republican Chairman.  Look for a list of Essex endorsements for Christie to be released before the screening committee. 

O'Toole and Christie some history together - O'Toole was one of the legislators who attempted to convince Christie to run in 2005.  The political alliance between the former Chief of Staff to Essex County Executive James Treffinger and the man who sent Treffinger to prison as a federal prosecutor is indeed an interesting one. 

And in the land of Republican gubernatorial politics, as goes Essex, so goes Passaic.  So the winner of the Essex screening committee will likely replicate his success in Passaic, where Assemblyman Scott Rumana (R-Wayne), the Passaic County Republican Chairman, is an O'Toole ally. 

A player in the Essex, Bergen and Passaic contests will be former Assembly Majority Leader Paul DiGaetano (R-Nutley), who is the biggest Republican name to have endorsed former Bogota Mayor Steve Lonegan so far.  DiGaetano moved to Essex County after spending sixteen years as a Passaic City Councilman, and in 2005, he won the Bergen County Republican Convention when he ran for Governor.

How about former Summit Council President Kelly Hatfield for Lt. Governor? Some sources say its on the table.

Christopher Christie's 74% victory at the Union County Republican convention is good news for Jon Bramnick, the Assembly Minority Whip who very much wants to be the GOP candidate for Lt. Governor.  While there were plenty of Republican leaders who can take credit for the big Christie win, including Senate Minority Leader Thomas Kean, Jr.,  GOP County Chairman Philip Morin, and longtime Westfield resident William Palatucci, a lopsided win in Union surely won't hurt Bramnick's chances.

One Republican who won't be held in high esteem by Christie if he becomes Governor is Elizabeth Municipal Chair Helen Rosales.  Rosales endorsed the former U.S. Attorney, but flipped her support this morning to former Bogota Mayor Steven Lonegan and nominated him at the convention.  Lonegan won 21% of the vote, followed by Assemblyman Rick Merkt (2%), Franklin Mayor Brian D. Levine (1%), and South Brunswick businessman David Brown (1%).

SUMMIT –Former U.S. Attorney Chris Christie easily won the Union County Republican Convention today -- an outcome that everyone, including the four other candidates who competed, expected.

The lopsided result at the Lawton C. Johnson middle school, while not surprising, bolsters Christie’s frontrunner status in the Republican primary.  

Christie got 294 votes to former Bogota Mayor Steve Lonegan's 83 while Assemblyman Rick Merkt had 9, Franklin Mayor Brian Levine had 5 and South Brunswick inventor David Brown got 4.  

The convention was the first held by a county committee in the state, but it’s the second Republican county line awarded to Christie, who earlier this week won the favored ballot spot in Monmouth County by Chairman Joseph Oxley.  

The only result truly in question today was whether Merkt or Levine would place fourth.  Both, however, downplayed the importance of the result, and said it would have no effect on whether they continue their campaigns.

“Are we in it until the primary?” Merkt asked his Campaign Manager, Chris Venis, in response to a question from PolitickerNJ.com prior to knowing the voting results.

“We’re in it ‘til November,” Venis said.

Getty Images

Former U.S. Attorney Christopher Christie won the Union County Republican convention today.

SUMMIT - Former U.S. Attorney Christopher Christie won the Union County Republican convention today, defeating former Bogota Mayor Steven Lonegan 294-83 to run on the organization line in the June Republican gubernatorial primary.

Assemblyman Rick Merkt (R-Mendham) finished third with 9 votes, followed by Franklin Township Mayor Brian D. Levine with 5 votes.  South Brunswick inventor David Brown received 4 votes.

The final results:
Christie 74.4%
Lonegan 21.0%
Merkt 2.3%
Levine 1.3%
Brown 1.0%