Doug Singleterry

Newark Mayor Cory Booker

Hoping to gnaw at what they believe is a soft GOP county underbelly ready to turn blue in the right circumstances, Somerset Democrats will bring in Newark Mayor Cory Booker this month for a fundraiser at the home of Somerset County Democratic Vice Chairman Zenon Christodoulou.

Republicans say it's not happening, no matter how much statewide starpower their rivals attempt to leverage.

"He's a Newark mayor and what does he have to do with Somerset County?" asked an unimpressed Bridgewater Council President Pat Scaglione, Republican candidate for freeholder here with incumbent GOP Freeholder Jack Ciattarelli.  "I want to talk about the issues."

Gov. Jon Corzine, right, with Somerset County Democratic Party Chair Peg Schaffer and Assemblyman Upendra Chivukula (D-Franklin Township), left.

SOMERVILLE - When President Barack Obama choppered into Holmdel and stood at a podium with Gov. Jon Corzine as flashbulbs popped, the event went down as a high profile rescue effort by the president of a governor for whom much of the Democratic Party was hitting the panic button.

Today, in a seeming effort to shake off the candidate in distress designation and himself come to the oratorical aid of a president whose own favorables have dipped since his appearance at the PNC Arts Center earlier this summer, Corzine sounded a note of defiant allegiance to Obama.

"Our president is under attack," Corzine told a crowd of 75-100 rain-spattered troops at the opening of the Somerset County Democratic Party headquarters on Division Street. "We need to send him a signal that we're with him. We're not going backwards, we're going forward."

While the governor is running nine points behind GOP gubernatorial candidate Chris Christie, according to the latest Quinnipiac University poll, the Christie campaign had a week and a half of negative headlines, which may have tightened the race.

"Everything is moving in the right direction," Corzine roared. "Let's keep it going. Things are moving in the right direction, right?"

After bruising battle, Bernards Committeeman John Carpenter, left, congratulates Bridgewater Council President Pat Scaglione

SOMERVILLE – Bridgewater Council President Pat Scaglione prevailed over Bernards Township Committeeman John Carpenter here in their county committee face-off at GOP headquarters on Main Street.  

The final vote tally was Scaglione, 148 votes; and Carpenter, 145 votes.

"I've never seen anything quite this close in a freeholder contest," said Assemblyman Pete Biondi (R-Hillsborough) of a contest settled after four days of county committee voting and three counts this afternoon following an inconclusive vote at last Thursday's convention.

A financial investments manager, the 44-year old Scaglione is a 12-year veteran of the Council.  

"In these tough economic times, I am committed to the best government at an efficient cost," said the GOP freeholder candidate. "I would like to maintain the quality of life for people in Somerset County, where we have some of the best towns in the country."

He will run for Somerset County Freeholder with incumbent Republican Freeholder Jack Ciarettelli against the two nominees from the Democratic Party, Montgomery Township Mayor Cecilia Birge and North Plainfield Councilman Doug Singleterry.

Roughneen, above, endorses Scaglione

BRIDGEWATER - It is Election Day in Somerville, where members of the Somerset County Republican Committee have less than an hour to record their votes for either Bernards Committeeman John Carpenter or Bridgewater Council President Pat Scaglione.

Seeking the support of their party to run on the line here with incumbent Republican Freeholder Jack Ciattarelli, Scaglione and Carpenter deadlocked with an equal number of votes at last Thursday’s Somerset County Republican Convention at the Elk’s Lodge.

The pair beat former prosecutor Thomas Roughneen, who endorsed Scaglione on Friday. Carpenter runs with the support of Somerset County Republican Chairman Dale Florio.

MANVILLE – If you have a score to settle in this old factory town – and this tradition goes back a while now but maybe it still applies - you meet the other guy under the water tower, and it looked like some members of the Somerset County Democratic Committee planned on just such an encounter with Gov. Jon Corzine this morning at the VFW Hall where the tower stands on the other side of the train tracks.

The back-story buildup to the committee’s unanimous endorsement of Corzine came with an infusion of drama as party members here nursed some hurt feelings over the administration’s disinterest in interviewing their recommendation for a county prosecutor to succeed retiring veteran Wayne Forrest. 

Not pursuing the committee’s good soldier submission of Somerville Councilman Rob Wilson for the post, Corzine tapped Somerville defense attorney John MacDonald.   

That left a dedicated contingent feeling disrespected and wanting to make a statement, particularly if Corzine was going to be a no-show at the convention. Still others blamed the State Committee for not playing a more aggressive role in coordinating Assemblywoman Linda Stender’s (D-Fanwood) congressional campaign, and the tendency among machine Democrats in other counties to see Somerset as a write-off.

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.

Somerset County Democrats selected Montgomery Mayor Cecilia Birge and North Plainfield Councilman Doug Singleterry to run for Freeholder.  In the Senate race, Somerset endorsed incumbent Frank Lautenberg over Rep. Rob Andrews in a voice vote; Morristown Mayor Donald Cresitello was not nominated.  Republicans hold their convention on Thursday night.