Jay Webber

Statement of New Jersey officials on the eighth anniversary of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks:

Former U.S. Attorney Chris Christie and Monmouth County Sheriff Kim Guadagno

NEWARK - Staged as an act of audacity meant to send Democrats into home turf high alert and energize residents weary of one-party rule, Chris Christie this afternoon opened a campaign headquarters in Newark where Democrats outnumber Republicans, 65,000 to 3,400.

"I was born here 47 years ago this past weekend," said the former U.S. Attorney, who stood with his running mate, Monmouth County Sheriff Kim Guadagno, in a storefront at 60 Park Place, a double tweak to Democrats in and of itself, as the majority party occupied this spot last year as their Essex County base of operations for Barack Obama.

"This isn't about opening a headquarters in terms of symbolism," added Christie, speaking to a packed room of cheering supporters from Newark and the environs. "We're opening this headquarters because we have a demand to open it. We will staff it, we will have volunteers to work it."

State Party Chairman/Assemblyman Jay Webber and State Sen. Minority Whip Kevin O'Toole (R-Cedar Grove), chair of the Essex County Republican Party, joined Christie and Guadagno and Assembly and county candidates at the front of the room.

Elected Member of NJ Republican State Committee Speaks Out for His Constituents!

Is Christie running as a republican?

GOP State Chairman Jay Webber wants Jamie Fox, now working as a senior advisor to Gov. Jon Corzine's re-election campaign, to quit his seat on the Local Finance Board, which enforces ethics laws at the local level.

"Here we go again.  While Governor Corzine attempted to score points by recycling his old, empty promises on ethics reform in this campaign, his actions once again fall far short of his rhetoric," said Webber (R-Morris Plains), a freshman Assemblyman.  "Beyond the irony in having Jim McGreevey's top advisor responsible for enforcing ethics laws, Fox's prominent role with Governor Corzine's reelection campaign raises a huge red flag for Fox's conflicting interests."

Assemblyman Jay Webber (R-Morris Plains), the Republican State Chairman, wants Gov. Jon Corzine to disclose documents related to his lobbying activities while running Goldman Sachs.

"After failing to make good on his promises to be fully transparent with New Jersey's finances, Governor Corzine finds himself with his back to the wall in this campaign and has suddenly rediscovered his interest in disclosure,” Webber said.  “The governor should follow his own calls for disclosure and immediately release all of his activities in lobbying the Clinton Administration to change its position toward Monthly Income Preferred Shares (MIPS).”

Webber is alleging that Corzine’s lobbying activities, during a time before he was a candidate for public office, “benefitted him personally as an executive at Goldman Sachs.”

One of the state’s three major environmental groups announced today that they will not endorse a candidate for governor.

“Despite the poor condition of New Jersey’s environment, the candidates have so far said little to acknowledge these serious environmental problems, and they have yet to offer solutions,” said Environment New Jersey Executive Director Dena Mottola Jaborska.

Instead, the group is releasing a list of what it considers the 10 most pressing environmental issues the state is facing – among them the creation of more solar and wind energy-related jobs and stopping the development of a coal power plant in Linden – that they hope the candidates address.  They’ll hold town halls and will invite all three major candidates (including independent Christopher Daggett, a former DEP commissioner and regional EPA administrator) to talk about the issues there, as well as participate in an environmentally-centered debate.

Gov. Jon Corzine and former CWA president Carla Katz

Carla Katz’s name has surfaced in the gubernatorial contest, but it’s not coming from Republican gubernatorial nominee Chris Christie.  

Even in light of potentially damaging news accounts about Christie’s loan to high ranking U.S. Attorney staffer Michele Brown, his campaign has no plans to hit back by raising Governor Corzine’s relationship with the former leader of the state’s largest public workers’ union, who he dated before becoming governor.  .

“Chris has made a real effort to run a different kind of campaign and has from the very beginning stipulated that this will be a campaign about the issues,” said Christie advisor Maria Comella.  “In a state that is facing the highest unemployment in 32 years the highest tax burden and a 32% up-tick in home foreclosures, these are the issues that voters are going to go into the booth to make a decision on in November, and they’re exactly what Chris is going to be talking about.”  

In a February, Christie told The Record’s Chares Stile “you won't hear anything about Carla Katz and e-mails out of me and or out of my campaign.” 

Republican State Committee Chairman Jay Webber

Republican State Committee Chairman Jay Webber said his gubernatorial candidate is in a very good position, leading incumbent Gov. Jon Corzine by nine points in a head-to-head match-up, according to today's Quinnipiac University poll.

"This is the 27th consecutive poll I have seen in which Chris Christie leads Jon Corzine," said the state chairman, whom Christie personally selected earlier this summer to run the party operation.

This afternoon, Webber's chief rival, Democratic State Committee Chairman Joe Cryan, took a piece of consolation from the fact that independent Chris Daggett is chewing up seven points in today's poll. When Quinnipiac factors him into the gubernatorial contest, Christie's lead drops by five points.

"His lead drops a little - but not a lot," said Webber. "He's still beating him. When I read the comments of Joe Cryan, who's thumping his chest about being 'in range' when a third party candidate is added, I think that's a very good sign for Chris Christie."

If Christopher Christie wins his race for Governor, look for Assembly Minority Leader Alex DeCroce (R-Parsippany) to actively seek a post in the new administration.  The 73-year-old Morris County Republican has been anxious to serve in the cabinet for several years; he was interested enough in becoming the Commissioner of Transportation that he discussed the job with then-Gov. James E. McGreevey. 

“I am singularly focused on winning a Republican majority in the state Assembly and helping Chris Christie become the next Governor of New Jersey. I am not interested in becoming Transportation Commissioner," DeCroce said in an e-mail to PolitickerNJ.com. "I am very interested in serving as Assembly Speaker and working with Governor Christie to restore fiscal sanity and make New Jersey affordable again. Any report to the contrary is simply false.”

A DeCroce move to the administration would create two new campaigns - one to replace him as the Assembly Minority Leader (assuming the GOP does not capture control of the Assembly in November) and the other to fill his District 26 Assembly seat.  Some Assembly Republicans believe a leadership battle could turn out to be contest between the GOP Conference Leader, Peter Biondi (R-Hillsborough) and Minority Whip Jon Bramnick (R-Westfield).  Biondi has been eyeing the Minority Leader post for a while, and has reportedly considered challenging DeCroce.    Don't count out Assemblywoman Alison McHose (R-Franklin) as a leadership candidate.