Jon Bramnick

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.

The Seventh district Republican congressional race saw some new – and in some cases surprising – endorsements this morning.

Today Senate Minority Leader Tom Kean, Jr. will appear with State Sen. Leonard Lance to promote him to replace outgoing Rep. Mike Ferguson.

But Kean’s two Assembly running mates, Minority Whip Jon Bramnick and Dr. Eric Munoz, announced today that they are backing former Summit Council President P. Kelly Hatfield for the seat.

Both Kean and Bramnick were early frontrunners to seek the seat, but they declined.

This week’s Steve Some Self Promotion Award goes to Assembly Minority Whip Jon Bramnick, who announced today that he was the recipient of the Essex County Legislator of the Year Award from the Essex County Republican Committee.  Essex GOP Chairman Kevin O’Toole presented the award.  Bramnick says O’Toole recognized his “hard work and dedication.”

Who is the Matthew Rinaldo of the new generation – Michael Doherty or Jon Bramnick?

Rinaldo, the pro-labor Republican who always carried Elizabeth during his ten terms in Congress, spent two decades on short lists for statewide office – Governor in 1977, 1981, 1989 and 1993, and U.S. Senate in 1982 and 1988 – but was never able to pull the trigger; among political insiders, that became part of his legacy.

The same thing seems to be happening with Doherty, who publicly flirted with bids for Congress in 2002, Governor in 2005, U.S. Senate in 2006, State Senate in 2007 (against Leonard Lance in the GOP primary), and U.S. Senate in 2008.  How long will it take for his name to stop appearing on short lists?

Martin Marks, the Mayor of Scotch Plains, is interested in Mike Ferguson's congressional seatUnion County may not be a bulwark of Republican Party politics, but a chunk of it fits into a Republican-leaning Congressional district, and it is the home of at least two Republican politicians alert to a coming vacancy.

With the announcement earlier today that state Sen. Tom Kean, Jr., would not pursue retiring U.S. Rep. Mike Ferguson's seat, Assemblyman Jon Bramnick emerged as Union County's frontrunner.

But he definitely has company.

Scotch Plains Mayor Martin Marks says he once told Ferguson that if the congressman ever moved up or retired, Marks would be interested in running for his 7th district Congressional seat.

Senate Minority Leader-designate Tom Kean, Jr. won't run for Congress in 2008
Tom Kean, Jr. has decided against running for Congress and will concentrate on his new job as Senate Minority Leader, according to sources close to Kean.  (UPDATE: Kean has announced that he will  not seek the Republican nomination for Congress in 2008.)

Republican sources say that Kean will support Assembly Minority Whip Jon Bramnick to run for the 7th district seat Michael Ferguson will vacate at the end of next year.

Union County Republican Chairman Philip Morin says he won’t seek the House seat being vacated by Rep. Mike Ferguson.

"I don't see myself as a candidate for Congress in 2008," said Morin, a former Cranford mayor who is a strong backer of GOP U.S. Senate candidate Anne Evans Estabrook.

If Jon Bramnick is talking about running, it could mean Tom Kean, Jr. has already decided not toAssemblyman Jon Bramnick was set to make a decision on whether he would run for U.S. Senate as early as this week. But now, with the announcement that Mike Ferguson will not seek re-election to Congress in 2008, Bramnick appears to have his sights set on that seat

“It’s hard to pass up an opportunity like this,” said Bramnick, who said he'll make a decision on whether or not to go for it tomorrow morning.

Bramnick said that he has received communications from within the party this morning via email and telephone asking him to run.

“I can’t understand why Ferguson is not running,” said Bramnick.

If Tom Kean, Jr. decides not to run for Congress, look for Assembly Minority Whip Jon Bramnick to emerge as the front runner.  Bramnick has been mulling a bid for the GOP nomination for U.S. Senate against Frank Lautenberg.