Dale Florio

Somerset County GOP Chairman Dale Florio

SOMERSET – Field general Dale Florio goes over the numbers again in Somerset County Republican Party headquarters.  He doesn’t appear overly confident but he believes his party can comfortably fend off the other side, which is making a big play here in a presidential year when their national ticket has a double digit lead in New Jersey.

In the next room, three volunteers work the phones as pedestrians blow in from Main Street and pick up handfuls of “McCain-Palin” lawn signs.

“I’ve been pleased with the energy level – that energy surge close to Election Day,” says Florio, Republican Party county chair, looking up from his desk. “You’d have figured with the war, the economy and the last eight years that we’d have less excitement, but McCain is his own man. Quite frankly, with the Obama campaign’s focus elsewhere, it’s taken the Democrats’ focus away from New Jersey.”

If enacted, Gov. Corzine’s reform agenda could curtail the power of county chairs, who would be able to tap donors for less money and wouldn’t be able to wheel money from one county to another.  But in solidly Republican Somerset County, GOP Chairman Dale Florio thinks that the reforms don’t go far enough. 

Florio thinks the wheeling ban isn’t strict enough, since it allows state committees to donate unlimited funds to county committees, while still allowing county committees to donate $25,000 to state committees.    

That’s still wheeling, according to Florio, whose day job is as a partner in one of Trenton's most influential lobbying firms.

Congressional candidate Michael HsingBridgewater Councilman Michael Hsing, a Republican-turned-independent to run for Congress in the 7th District, doesn’t see his role in the race as a spoiler for Republican Leonard Lance. Rather, he sees himself as a pinch hitter coming in to relieve Lance, who he doesn’t think can win.

“If I compare Stender and Lance, certainly I will support Lance. But I know Lance probably will not win. If I believed Lance would win, I would not challenge him,” said Hsing. “He doesn’t have fire in the belly, and I have at it.”

Michael Hsing, a Republican Councilman from Bridgewater, is running for Congress as an Independent in the 7th district
If Assemblywoman Linda Stender’s congressional campaign poll numbers are to be believed, then State Sen. Leonard Lance should be worried about Michael Hsing.

Hsing, a councilman from Bridgewater, pulled out of the Republican congressional primary to run as an independent after complaining that Somerset County’s GOP endorsement process was “rigged.”

Now the Stender poll shows her in a close race with Lance, leading him by just three points – 36-33%. That poll has the independent Hsing at 9% -- most of which would presumably belong to Lance otherwise.

Somerset County Republican Chairman Dale Florio, however, doesn’t believe that the poll is accurate.

“I don’t put any credibility into that number. That’s just not a real number,” he said.

**UPDATED

MINNEAPOLIS - Three more Republican county chairs today affirmed their support for Assembly Minority Leader Alex DeCroce (R-Parsippany-Troy Hills), who announced this week that he intends to pursue another term next year as party leader.

Rick Wright, executive director of the Assembly Republicans, said the following chairs indicated they want the 72-year old DeCroce to remain as minority leader: Essex Chairman\Sen. Kevin O’Toole (R-Essex), Monmouth Chairman Joe Oxley, and Passaic Chairman\Assemblyman Scott Rumana (R-Wayne).

Somerset County Chairman Dale Florio told PolitickerNJ.com that he wants to talk to conference leader Assemblyman Pete Biondi (R-Somerville).

"Whatever Pete decides to do, I'm going to support him," says Florio.

After being defeated in his reelection bid for Bergen County Republican Chairman, sources say that Rob Ortiz is likely to be the Republican State Committee’s next finance chairman.

Ortiz, an attorney from Ridgewood, raised about $200,000 for the Bergen County Republican Party, helping it emerge from $40,000 in debt. But his support for the candidacy of his friend and client Andy Unanue, along with several other missteps, cost him that job.

State Sen. Kevin O'Toole reportedly has the votes to become the new Chairman of the GOP County Chairmen

Update: O'Toole, Davis and Steinhardt have reached an agreement, largely brokered by Gilmore. Davis and Steinhardt will support O'Toole for the chairmanship. Steinhardt will likely become vice-chair, while Davis will be treasurer of the group.

Ocean County Republican Chairman George Gilmore, who announced yesterday that he would not seek another term as the chair of Republican chairmen, today supported Essex County Republican Chairman/state Sen. Kevin O'Toole (R-Cedar Grove) for the post.

Gilmore said that O'Toole has the support of enough of the state's 21 county chairs to easily ascend to the position.

"Kevin absolutely has the votes," said Gilmore. "One of the things I wanted to see was that it was a smooth transition."

Gilmore's support and vote count makes O'Toole the obvious favorite, but it's possible that he won't go unchallenged. Gilmore's decision not to run took many county chairs by surprise, and a short list of four names quickly emerged: O'Toole, Somerset County Chairman Dale Florio, Warren County Chairman Doug Steinhardt and Atlantic County Chairman Keith Davis.

Somerset County Democratic Chair Peg Schaffer, right, with Montgomery Mayor Cecilia Birge, one of her freeholder candidates. 

Charged up by the presidential race, Democrats believe they can storm GOP freeholder strongholds in at least three counties this year: Somerset, Burlington and Monmouth.

While the Democratic Party has chopped away in sections at county freeholder seats in Monmouth and now is one win away from obtaining a majority, Somerset and Burlington remain elusive Republican bulwarks for the Democrats, who see Monmouth as a model.

The election this week of a new Democratic Party chair in Somerset brought forth fighting words from those party members long schooled in living under Republican rule, and prompted the obligatory GOP reply that for all the updates on Democratic Party registration, the county remains red.

Republican U.S. Senate candidate Dick Zimmer as he appeared in ABC television debate on Sunday.SOMERVILLE - State Sen. Joseph Pennacchio (R-Morris) never convinced party leaders that he could be the darling of the GOP, most of whom instead backed former U.S. Rep. Dick Zimmer for U.S. Senate.

Now, with a full day remaining before Election Day, maverick conservative leader Steve Lonegan, a former mayor of Bogota and gubernatorial candidate, says he will vote for Pennacchio, while questioning Zimmer’s ability to generate energy among rank-and-file Republicans.