Dan Gallic

Assemblyman Michael Doherty today became the first elected official to endorse conservative activist Steve Lonegan's prospective gubernatorial bid.

Doherty announced today that he will chair the recently formed Committee to Draft Steve Lonegan for Governor, and called Lonegan "New Jersey's Ronald Reagan."

The committee was jump-started earlier this week by Republican political consultant Dan Gallic.

“No one speaks out louder or stronger for taxpayers and in defense of our conservative values than Steve Lonegan. He is not only the strongest candidate we can run against Jon Corzine, he is the best man for the job,” said Doherty in a statement.

Doherty, who’s among the legislature’s most conservative members, flirted with a U.S. Senate run last year, and was the only New Jersey legislator to endorse Republican Ron Paul for president.

“Lonegan is not only our only hope to save our state, but our last hope.”

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GOP activist Dan Gallic today announced that he is forming an organization to draft former Bogota Mayor Steve Lonegan to run for governor.

"Our goal is to create a situation where should Steve decide to run, there will be a grass-roots and finance organization already in place to secure him the Republican nomination," Gallic said in a release.

"Steve Lonegan’s conservative leadership is the reason he is the Republican Party’s premier leader when so many other ‘leaders’ have been asleep at the wheel," Gallic added. "No one in New Jersey has the record of accomplishment Steve Lonegan has built: from stopping McGreevey’s gasoline tax hike to defeating two ballot questions last November and the Corzine borrowing and toll hike scheme last Spring."

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Senate candidate Joe Pennacchio plans to challenge the validity of Andy Unanue’s candidacy tomorrow.

Pennacchio campaign manager Dan Gallic said that, if Unanue does indeed drop out of the race, then his “oath of candidacy was not made in good faith.” Gallic cited press reports that Unanue had flown back to Vail, Colo., where he kicked off his candidacy while on a family vacation two weeks ago, shortly after filling his candidacy on Monday.

“As we understand from the reports, he was already on the plane within 24 hours, raising significant issues as to whether he ever intended to run at all,” said Gallic.

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Dan Gallic, who is more-or-less running his friend Joe Pennacchio’s not-yet-official U.S. Senate campaign, turns 40 next week. Compared to other campaign workers, that makes him a pretty old hand in this business.

“I’m officially old,” said Gallic, who also blogs for the Web site Conservatives With Attitude. “That’s the number one issue why I’m not going to necessarily step up to the plate for being a campaign manager, but in the same breath I can say I’m going to do everything I can to help Joe.

Gallic is older than his two likely behind-the-scenes opponents in the upcoming senate race, but not by that much. Mark Duffy, who was just tapped to manage Republican Anne Evans Estabrook’s campaign, is 34, while Sen. Frank Lautenberg’s campaign manager, Brendan Gill, is 33. While all three have considerable political experience, none has taken the lead role in a statewide campaign until now. more >

Tim Gallic, a Summit High School science teacher and the brother of GOP political consultant Dan Gallic, is mulling a bid for the Republican nomination for Congress in the 7th district.

Gallic joins Senate Minority Leader Leonard Lance, former congressional aide Kate Whitman, Assemblyman Peter Biondi, former Summit Councilwoman Kelly Hatfield, Scotch Plains Mayor Martin Marks, former Hillsborough Deputy Mayor Chris Venis, Hunterdon County Freeholder-elect Will Mennen, Warren Township Mayor Victor Sordillo, and conservative activist and former professional wrestler Michael Illions as potential candidates for Mike Ferguson’s House seat.

"Currently there is no announced candidate that represents the true base of the Republican Party. Each of the announced candidates holds positions that run counter the Republican Party platform. I'm not sure why New Jersey Republicans continue to raise up leaders that have more in common with the Democrat Party than their own party," Gallic said.

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