Dennis Shulman

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has bumped Dennis Shulman up a rung on its priorities list.

The committee announced today that Shulman has moved up from being a “targeted race” to an “emerging race,” which means that Shulman is a contender to participate in the organization’s “Red to Blue” fundraising program.

Democratic State Chairman Joseph Cryan in Newark on Tuesday night. 

NEWARK - They came together in Newark tonight in a public display of unity, the forces of Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, all lining up behind Gov. Jon Corzine, who proclaimed his support for Obama in this governor’s fund-raiser for the Democratic State Committee.

"Yes, we can, and he will be the next president," shouted Corzine, echoing the campaign slogan of the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee.

The Democrats raised over $500,000 tonight at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center, according to party spokesman Richard McGrath, as part of a $5,000 VIP ticket, $1,500 per-person kick-start for what Corzine hopes will be blue state heaven for these Democrats come Nov. 4.

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer's PAC has contributed $5,000 to 5th district Democratic congressional candidate Dennis Shulman: Getty Images Photo
PARAMUS -- Sitting at a conference table at IBEW Local 164's headquarters with congressionalcandidate Dennis Shulman, several labor officials and two reporters this morning, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD) was asked whether he planned to back up his visible support of Shulman with a significant amount of cash.

Hoyer, smiling, pulled an envelope out of his pocket and handed it to Shulman.

"Here's another $2,500. Talk is cheap, right?" said Hoyer. "It's not in the mail. It's in his pocket now."

It was the second $2,500 check that Hoyer's political action committee, AmeriPAC, had given to Schulman's campaign - something he said would be a taste of things to come if Shulman continues to run a vigorous campaign against three-term Rep. Scott Garrett in the fifth congressional district.

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD) will be in New Jersey today to stump for Democrat Dennis Shulman, who is challenging three-term Congressman Scott Garrett in the fifth district. The event is being held at the IBEW Local 164 headquarters in Paramus.

In a sign that national Democrats may actually believe that they have a shot at ousting Republican Rep. E. Scott Garrett, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD) will join Democratic congressional candidate Dennis Shulman to meet with labor officials on Monday.

Shulman, a blind rabbi and psychologist, is running a long-shot campaign against Garrett, who’s easily beaten back three previous challenges from Democrats. But Shulman’s fundraising prowess and unconventional life story have raised eyebrows with national Democrats, who will likely make Shulman’s race their third priority after the 3rd and 7th Congressional Districts, where John Adler and Linda Stender are running for open seats vacated by Republicans.
In January, Hoyer swung through the state to stump and fundraise for Adler and Stender.

The Record has endorsed Dennis Shulman, a blind Rabbi and psychotherapist, to challenge three-term Rep. Scott Garrett in the 5th district. Shulman faces attorney Camille Abate and businessman Roger Bacon in the Democratic primary. The Record has not yet endorsed candidates in the U.S. Senate primaries.

In the fifth congressional district, incumbent Republican E. Scott Garrett leads his potential challengers in fundraising.

Garrett raised $94,037.97 between April 1st and May 14th, bringing his total raised this cycle to $783,088.21 and his war chest of available cash to $508,523.31.

Bergen County Executive Dennis McNerney endorsed fifth district Democratic congressional candidate Dennis Shulman today.

Shulman, a blind rabbi and psychologist, is running against primary opponent Camille Abate to take on conservative Republican incumbent E. Scott Garrett.   

“Dennis Shulman, unlike Scott Garrett, understands the challenges facing the hardworking men and women of Northern New Jersey,” said McNerney.

United States Rep. Frank Pallone endorsed Dennis Shulman in the fifth district Democratic congressional primary.

Shulman, a rabbi and psychologist who’s been blind since childhood, faces Camille Abate for the nomination to take on Republican incumbent E. Scott Garrett.

"I find so much to admire in Dennis's story and message," said Pallone in a press release. "Residents of Northern New Jersey deserve much better representation than what they are getting from Scott Garrett. Dennis' passionate willingness to fight for hardworking families, to end the war in Iraq and to address critical environmental issues is exactly what we need to defeat Congressman Garrett this fall."

The question seems to come up every two years: is incumbent 5th District Rep. E. Scott Garrett vulnerable to a Democratic challenge? 

This year is no exception.

Challengers during Garrett’s first three campaigns thought they had a good shot, but he managed to beat them by double digit margins each time – even if those margins have narrowed each time.

But both of the Democrats vying to take him on say that this time is different, and both have released internal polls that they say proves it. 

The frontrunner in the Democratic race, blind rabbi/psychologist Dennis Shulman, reported today that he has raised $125,000 last quarter and has $245,500 cash-on-hand.  That's a slowdown from his previous quarter of fundraising, but Shulman is ahead of any of Garrett's previous Democratic challengers: Paul Stuart Aronsohn, Dorothea Wolfe or Anne Sumers.