Christine Todd Whitman

One factoid that has appeared on PolitickerNJ.com numerous times in recent years is being reprinted in honor of Republican National Chairman Michael Steele's visit to the Garden State: Republicans haven't won a statewide election in New Jersey since 1997; since then, 49 other states have elected a Republican to statewide office.

Despite their winning streak, New Jersey Democrats went fourteen years without re-electing an incumbent to statewide office.  U.S. Senator Frank Lautenberg (D-Cliffside Park) was re-elected in 2008, having last won re-election in 1994.  Besides Lautenberg, the last New Jersey Democrat to win re-election was Bill Bradley in 1990.

A few noteworthy Superior Court appointments made by Gov. Jon Corzine last week:  Margaret Foti, who succeeded Peter Verniero as Chief Counsel to Gov. Christine Todd Whitman; Robert Gilson, once a genuine rainmaker at  Riker, Danzig, Scherer, Hyland and Perretti and, since 2006, the Law Division Director at the state Attorney General's office; Joseph Paone, an administrative law judge and former GOP candidate for Middlesex County Freeholder; and Lawrence Jones, who along with his wife, Joni Jones, raised the level of awareness for the developmentally disabled as Democratic State Assembly candidates in the tenth district in 2005.  Corzine also named Kelly Kirk, a former Bergen GOP Freeholder candidate, to serve as an administrative law judge.

New Jersey Republicans are likely to nominate a pro-life candidate for Governor today - only the sixth abortion opponent to win a statewide GOP primary since the U.S. Supreme Court's Roe v. Wade decision in 1973.  Pro-Choice Republicans have won fourteen statewide Republican primaries.

Former U.S. Attorney Christopher Christie has picked up another endorsement of a former Governor of New Jersey, although his campaign has not yet made a formal announcement: Christine Todd Whitman contributed $1,100 to Christie's campaign on May 18.

Another Christie contributor is Kenneth Pasternak, the former head of a day trading firm who was exonerated last year after the Securities and Exchange Commission alleged that he overcharged Knight Trading Group customers.  In early 2002, Pasternak actively explored entering the race for the Republican U.S. Senate nomination to challenge Democrat Robert Torricelli.  The SEC investigation began shortly after that.  After a fourteen-day trial, a federal judge cleared Pasternak of any wrong doing. Pasternak contributed $3,400 to Christie's campaign on May 14.

Michael Fedorko, a former Acting Superintendent of the New Jersey State Police, will be the new Director of Public Safety and Police Superintendent of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, sources told PolitickerNJ.com.  Fedorko will replace Samuel Plumeri, who was nominated today to serve as a member of the New Jersey Parole Board.  Fedorko has served on the New Jersey Casino Control Commission since 1999, and his new post will enable Gov. Jon Corzine to replace appoint a new commissioner.

PolitickerNJ.com's Matt Friedman had an interesting observation during his coverage of the Republican gubernatorial debate.  He notes that Christopher Christie, "in recounting the damage he says has been done by seven years of Democratic governors," skips Richard Codey - he goes from James E. McGreevey straight to Jon Corzine. 

Former Gov. Christine Todd Whitman has so far stayed out of the 2009 Republican gubernatorial primary, but her brother has weighed in.  Former Assemblyman Webster "Dan" Todd, who now lives in Montana, has contributed $500 to Christopher Christie's campaign.

The death of Jack Kemp leaves six living former unsuccessful major party nominees for Vice President: Sargent Shriver (1972), Bob Dole (1976), Geraldine Ferraro (1984), Joe Lieberman (2000), John Edwards (2004) and Sarah Palin (2008).  There are also five living former Vice Presidents.  Of the six, three -- Dole, Lieberman and Edwards -- carried New Jersey.

In New Jersey, there are eleven living former unsuccessful major party candidates for United States Senator: Warren Wilentz (1966), David Norcross (1976), Jeff Bell (1978), Mary Mochary (1984), Peter Dawkins (1988), Christine Todd Whitman (1990), Chuck Haytaian (1994), Dick Zimmer (1996 and 2008), Bob Franks (2000), Douglas Forrester (2002) and Tom Kean, Jr. (2006).

New Jersey also has five living unsuccessful major party candidates for Governor: Raymond Bateman (1977), Peter Shapiro (1985), Jim Courter (1989), Bret Schundler (2001), and Douglas Forrester (2005).  Two other losing gubernatorial candidates, Jim Florio (1981 and 1993) and James E. McGreevey (1997) were subsequently elected Governor.

The announcement today that U.S. Senator Arlen Specter is switching parties is of little significance to New Jersey politics, except that it comes at a time when establishment Republicans are engaged in a fierce battle with conservatives for the Republican gubernatorial nomination.  Specter’s decision will likely upset some party leaders who view him as the type of Republican who can win a state that is trending Democratic.  And his switch will probably evoke a sort of “good riddance, rino” attitude from the conservative wing of the New Jersey GOP.

New Jersey, which hasn’t elected a Republican U.S. Senator since Clifford Case won a fourth term in 1972, has tossed two of their last three GOP Senators before the general election: Albert Hawkes was dumped by party leaders in his bid for a second term in 1948, and Case lost the 1978 GOP primary to conservative Jeffrey Bell.  And New Jersey Republicans have tossed one of their last three GOP Governors: incumbent William Cahill was ousted in the 1973 primary by Charles Sandman, a conservative Congressman.  (Another Republican Governor, Christine Todd Whitman, has been battling conservatives in a bid to keep moderates in the Republican Party.)

It was a tough crowd for state Sen. Gerald Cardinale (R-Demarest).

Speaking as a surrogate for gubernatorial candidate Chris Christie to a group of conservatives who mostly supported rival candidate Steve Lonegan at the Conservative Leadership Breakfast at a diner in North Brunswick, Cardinale was interrupted by Lonegan's chief strategist, Rick Shaftan, while he was making the case for Christie's conservative ideals. 

"This guy was just out there spewing cold lies out so I just corrected the record a bit," said Shaftan.

That led to a testy exchange between Cardinale and Shaftan that would soon reverberate in the conservative blogosphere and add another layer of drama to an already tense primary campaign.

While Lonegan has taken a confrontational tone with Christie since he entered the race, the Christie camp has, at least until recently, purposefully refused to engage Lonegan.  Last week, Christie gave a rare acknowledgement of Lonegan, albeit without mentioning his name, by criticizing his decision not to compete for party support at Republican county conventions.  But it largely has fallen to Christie's supporters, like Cardinale, to debate with the Lonegan loyalists.