James McCullough

The district 2 state Senate candidate James Whelan contrasts his record of public integrity with Sonny McCullough.

Six of New Jersey’s forty legislative districts send both Democrats and Republicans to Trenton, and each of those six could do the same after the November midterm election.

In District 1, Republican State Senator Nicholas Asselta faces a challenge from Democratic Assemblyman Jefferson Van Drew in a district that split in 2001 and 2003.  Van Drew’s running mate, Nelson Albano (who ousted veteran GOP Assemblyman Jack Gibson two years ago) faces a tough race for re-election.  This district could split two different ways: a Senator from one party and two Assemblymen from the other, or each party could elect one Assemblyman.

A Republican poll has Jim Whelan and Sonny McCullough in a dead heatAn internal campaign poll obtained by PoliticsNJ.com shows the second district state Senate race in a statistical dead heat, with Republicans leading in the contest for two Assembly seats.

The poll, which was conducted by McLaughlin & Associates, shows 41.7% of voters either voting for Democrat Jim Whelan or leaning towards him, while 41.3% picked Republican James “Sonny” McCullough.

In the Assembly contest, with respondents picking a combination of their first and second choices, Republican John Amodeo has a commanding lead over the pack, with 36%. The next preference was for Vince Polistana, with 28.7%, followed by Joe Wilkins with 27% and Blondell Spellman with 26.3%.

The two most public men in this hour of political reckoning battled in Atlantic City Mayor Bob Levy's absence today.

Levy, who's rumored to be the target of a federal probe into his alleged mischaracterization of Vietnam service in order to collect thousands of dollars' worth of benefits, has not reported for work since Wednesday.  Mayor's spokesman Nick Morici this afternoon said business administrator Domenic Cappella told him the mayor is officially on "medical leave," and the mayor's lawyer, Edwin Jacobs, did not return phone calls.

The message from a major Republican player is simple: if Frank LoBiondo doesn’t step up and make sure his two close friends, State Senators Nicholas Asselta and James “Sonny” McCullough, have enough money to hold their seats in November, then LoBiondo shouldn’t count on huge party support when redistricting time comes – just four years from now. 

More importantly for LoBiondo is the threat of his own second district congressional seat in 2008 or 2010 if Asselta and/or McCullough lose.  The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has already begun to show interest in taking on LoBiondo, and the two Democratic Senate candidates running this year – Jefferson Van Drew and James Whelan – would be formidable rivals to LoBiondo in the next election.  Van Drew went to Washington earlier this year to meet with the DCCC about taking on LoBiondo in a district that is trending Democratic.

McCULLOUGH: STATE EDUCATION AID INCREASES INSULTING

Senator James J. McCullough, (R-2), issued the following statement regarding the new state education aid figures released by the administration today.