George Gilmore

In Ocean County, things are looking up for Andy Unanue, even if he won’t attend Thursday’s convention in person.

The local party’s screening committee met Saturday – before Unanue had even officially announced his candidacy – and voted to back him 14-0, with one abstention. He’s also got the powerful Republican Chairman George Gilmore in his corner.

“Historically, the screening committee’s recommendation is generally followed,” said Gilmore.

Rival Joe Pennacchio has one thing going for him – he’s backed by all three of the county’s Republican state Senators: Bob Singer, Andrew Ciesla and Chris Connors.

Jackson Mayor Mark SedaJACKSON - Former committeeman Michael Kafton went to the microphone at the head of the room in Town Hall on Tuesday and pointed out the camera standing on a tripod in the corner, unmanned, tilted slightly downward and dark amid a jumble of cords.

"That equipment was given to us by Cablevision," Kafton told the governing body. "When I was up there, the meetings were filmed. You haven’t filmed a single meeting."Council candidate Michael Kafton

"We don’t have that gentleman you used to pay $60,000 to do that," shot back Councilman Angelo Stallone. "Didn’t you pay him $60,000 to film the meetings? We don’t have that gentleman."

"I didn’t pay him $60,000 to film the meetings," said Kafton.

"$65,000," put in Jackson Mayor Mark Seda from his seat on the far end of the dais, and Stallone led the hearty chorus of laughter from the council.

Republican Joe Buckalew says he won't run for the U.S. SenateCount Joe Buckalew out of the mix for potential U.S. Senate candidates.

“I feel like somebody must be crazy,” joked Buckalew.

Although Buckalew, the former Chairman of the New Jersey Highway Authority and current Chairman of the Board at Commerce Bancorp, received a call from Ocean County Republican Chairman George Gilmore about the possibility of running, he said he never gave it too much thought.

“It’s very flattering, and my county chairman and some other people had called me, but that’s not for me. It’s passed me by,” Buckalew, 78, told PolitickerNJ today. “You can count me out. I’ve been doing things all my life. It’s time for me to relax.”

Buckalew’s name was one of several that surfaced after businesswoman Anne Evans Estabrook suddenly dropped out of the race last week.

Republican insiders were unclear last night just how serious Joseph Buckalew is about entering the race for United States Senator, but it does appear that the GOP doesn’t seem ready to heed the request of Ocean County Republican Chairman George Gilmore to stop endorsing candidates: the Bergen County GOP convention went on as planned last night, giving Joseph Pennacchio a landslide victory in his bid to run on the organization line against Murray Sabrin.

Republican Joe Buckalew is a possible U.S. Senate candidateFormer New Jersey Highway Authority Chairman Joseph Buckalew, a longtime business associate of South Jersey Democratic leader George Norcross, is giving serious consideration to a bid for the Republican U.S. Senate nomination, according to a statement made by Ocean County GOP Chairman George Gilmore on a conference call of party leaders this afternoon. Buckalew serves on the Board of Directors of Commerce Bank and as Vice Chairman of Commerce Bank Insurance Services – where Norcross was Chairman.

Although three Ocean County state Senators had already thrown their support behind state Sen. Joe Pennacchio prior to Anne Evans Estabrook’s departure from the U.S. Senate race, the county’s Republican chairman, George Gilmore, has not yet committed to a candidate.

“We’re going to wait for the smoke to clear, see who the potential viable candidates are, then have our screening process,” said Gilmore.

The county committee will hold its nominating convention on March 27th. 

Ocean County Republicans appear to be leaning toward an endorsement of Joe Pennacchio for U.S. Senate.  Three GOP State Senators from Ocean -- Andrew Ciesla, Bob Singer and Chris Connors -- announced last week that they would back Pennacchio; that’s a move that doesn’t happen without a wink and a nod from Ocean County GOP Chairman George Gilmore. 

Republicans in Burlington County have already endorsed Anne Evans Estabrook, so Ocean going with Pennacchio is actually convenient in a region of the state that may have a high voter turnout in the GOP primary.  Estabrook can run with third district congressional candidate Christopher Myers, while Pennacchio can be aligned with Jack Kelly.   This could create local primaries for Freeholder, if Estabrook and Myers want to have a line in Ocean and Pennacchio and Kelly want one in Burlington.  The only way to assure a separate line with preferred ballot placement is to recruit Freeholder candidates.

The vast majority of Rudy Giuliani’s New Jersey supporters are expected to endorse John McCain today, and pundits on both sides appear certain that McCain is the heavy favorite to win New Jersey’s winner-take-all primary on Tuesday. McCain will be in New Jersey on Monday, holding a rally at the Colonial Fire House in Hamilton; Rudy Giuliani is expected to accompany him.

An elevator-full of Rudy Giuliani supporters looked at the ceiling when confronted with today’s Monmouth University/Gannett poll numbers that show the former New York mayor in a statistical dead heat with Arizona Sen. John McCain in the 2008 GOP presidential primary.

They were riding down from the fourth floor of the Toms River law office of Ocean County Republican Chairman George Gilmore, who also serves as state chairman of Giuliani’s campaign in New Jersey.

Gilmore wasn’t in town today.

If you’re one of those people who likes to read between the lines, consider the meaning of this: John Kelly decided it was a good idea to launch his bid for Congress in the third district was outside the Toms River law office of Ocean County Republican Chairman George Gilmore.