John Crowley

Pat Schuber, 61, now a college professor, served as Bergen County Executive, Assemblyman, and Mayor of Bogota between 1972 and 2002.

Gubernatorial candidate Christopher Christie dropped a major hint yesterday about his choice of a running mate if he wins the June primary: he said his Lieutenant Governor would chair the “New Jersey Partnership for Action,” leading an agency that will “create an effective infrastructure for economic growth.”  If Christie intends to have his LG play a key role in the state’s economic recovery – not necessarily a bad idea – then it could mean that he does not intend to pick an LG candidate based on geographical, gender, racial, or ideological balance.  Christie could be looking for someone out of the private sector, or someone with executive experience.

Could former Bergen County Executive William "Pat" Schuber come out of retirement to run for Lt. Governor?  Schuber is a friend of the former U.S. Attorney and of his top advisor, William Palatucci.  And while Schuber has been out of office for seven years -- something that could be turned into a positive -- he is likely to still have a following among independent voters in Bergen County that could be criticial to Christie's general election success.

What if Republicans picked millionaire Mark Gerson for Lt. Governor? Could he self-fund the general election?

If Christopher Christie is the Republican nominee for Governor, one option to remain competitive with Gov. Jon Corzine’s bank account would be to pick a running mate who can self-fund their general election campaign. 

Possible candidates for that role: bio tech millionaire John Crowley, who has flirted with statewide campaigns over the last two years; Mark Gerson, who runs a successful New York financial services consulting firm where his business partner is conservative activist and former New York gubernatorial candidate Lewis Lehrman; former New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority Commissioner Barbara Sobel, whose husband is now the U.S. Ambassador to Brazil; and Joel Schleicher, the Chairman and CEO of Presidio Networked Solution and former Nextel COO.

John Crowley hosted Gov. Jon Corzine for a tour of his biotech company a few months ago.

The decision of biotech millionaire John Crowley not to seek the Republican nomination for Governor in 2009 does not necessarily mean that he won’t run for office next year.  Some GOP insiders are already touting him as a possible candidate for Lt. Governor.  Crowley, with private sector business experience, a compelling personal story, and a possible – but still unproven – ability to raise money from non-traditional donors could make him an attractive running mate.  Here’s what politicos need to watch: will Crowley spend some time during the first half of next year helping Republican candidates and local GOP organizations.

MERKT DISAPPOINTED CROWLEY BOWED OUT OF 2009 RACE FOR GOVERNOR
 VIGOROUS COMPETITION ‘HEALTHY’ FOR GOP

John Crowley, right, with Gov. Jon Corzine

Biotech Republican millionaire John Crowley of Princeton will not run for governor in 2009, according to his spokesman, Bill Spadea.

“What happened in the last few weeks is speculation that has gone beyond reality,” said Spadea. “It is certainly an honor for John to be considered a top-tier candidate but he does not intend to run at this time. Both John and myself will be focused on Building the New Majority (a grassroots organization Crowley and Spadea founded) and working to elect local and Assembly candidates in 2009.”

Crowley almost ran for the Republican nomination for the U.S. Senate earlier this year, even fielding a phone call from U.S. Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) to get in the race, but he decided against it, citing the demands of his biotech business in Cranbury. 

Over the summer, Crowley and Spadea formed Building the New Majority and stepped up their outreach to party members, an effort that for Crowley included playing the host of a Mississippi boat ride at the Republican National Convention. 

Bergen County Clerk Kathe Donovan, who just won her fifth five year term as county clerk last month, does not rule out the possibility of becoming a candidate for Lieutenant Governor next year. 

But she’s not running for it.

“First of all you don’t run for it. The way I understand the law is people select you after the primary,” she said.

There's still no indication whether biotech executive John Crowley is going to run for governor, but political confidante Bill Spadea said that the buzz surrounding several Republican candidates is healthy.

“When you think about how this state has been so dominated by the Democrats for so many years, and how the economic situation continues to worsen under the Democratic watch, it is no surprise to me that people are very energized about the Republican Party,” Spadea said.  “It tells me the voters are energized for change and the Republican Party is shaping up to be that vehicle for change.” 

Assemblyman Richard Merkt (R-Mendham)

When Assemblyman Richard Merkt (R-Mendham) officially kicked off his gubernatorial campaign on Oct. 22, it proved no awesome headline-grabbing event just days before an historic presidential election.

But the 12-year veteran of the Assembly and long-shot candidate for the Republican nomination for governor said he made his declaration when he did because he was steamed over news about the way Democrats during the Codey administration managed a state fund supposedly dedicated to property tax relief.

 Merkt believes that his money notwithstanding, millionaire Gov. Jon Corzine will present Republicans with a soft target next year.

 “Let’s face it, he wanted to be Secretary of Treasury and didn’t get it,” said Merkt. “He’s running for governor as a consolation prize. And his wealth can be turned against him. I think you point out to the people that here’s a guy who spent $65 million to run for the U.S. Senate and $40 million to run for governor, and for that we got three years of misery and suffering and a declining economy.”

Former Bogota Mayor Steve Lonegan will announce today that he'll seek the Republican nomination for Governor.

Conservative activist Steve Lonegan will formally announce his gubernatorial candidacy this afternoon.

Lonegan, the 52-year-old former mayor of Bogota, will kickoff his 2009 campaign at the Courtyard Marriot in Edison at 1:00pm, according to his Web site.

This will be Lonegan’s second try for his party’s nomination. In 2005, he won eight percent of the vote in the Republican primary, coming in fourth out of seven candidates. But since then he's developed a higher statewide profile, authoring a book and heading the anti-tax group Americans for Prosperity.