Jon Bramnick

In the wake of the Newark murders that rocked New Jersey, Assembly Minority Whip Jon Bramnick wants federal authorities to know if an illegal immigrant has been charged with a crime here in New Jersey.

If Jon Bramnick runs for the United States Senate, the highest ranking Assembly Republican who will support his candidacy will be Jon Bramnick. Republicans presume that Minority Leader Alex DeCroce will back his running mate, Joseph Pennacchio, while Minority Conference Leader Peter Biondi was listed yesterday as a member of Anne Estabrook's exploratory committee.

If Assembly Minority Whip Jon Bramnick gets into the race for the '08 GOP U.S. Senate nomination, two prominent Union County Republicans could find themselves in a tough spot.  Phil Morin was one of four Republican County Chairs listed on Anne Evans Estabrook's U.S. Senate exploratory committee, and State Senator Thomas Kean, Jr., whose family has a longtime alliance with Estabrook (she served on the Board of Directors of Elizabethtown Water, the Kean family utility company), is Bramnick's running mate and close friend.

Assemblyman Jon Bramnick received unanimous support from his party today and became the GOP Minority Whip in the lower house, replacing Assemblyman Francis J. Blee.

Jon Bramnick wants to succeed Frank Blee as the Assembly Minority Whip Running for Assembly Minority Whip, Jon Bramnick says he would like to reflect the diversity in his caucus by understanding and properly representing ideas from across the GOP spectrum to all members of his party and to his party’s leadership.

The Westfield attorney, who is completing his third term in the Legislature and now serves as Assistant Whip, believes he has the votes to succeed Assemblyman Francis J. Blee the the third-ranking Assembly GOP leadership post, behind Minority Leader Alex DeCroce and Minority Conference Leader Peter Biondi.

Republican Frank Blee will step down as the Assembly Minority Whip -- the number three post in the GOP leadership -- and Jon Bramnick of Union County appears to be the favorite to succeed him.  Blee, who won just 39% of the vote in his bid for State Senate at a Special Election Convention in February, has decided not to seek re-election to an eighth term in the lower house.  Some Republican legislators had privately urged Blee's ouster after the Atlantic County Republican said he would back Democratic Assemblyman James Whelan for State Senate against GOP incumbent James "Sonny" McCullough.

While Assemblyman Eric Munoz struggles to defend himself in credentialsgate, his 21st district running mate seems to have emerged as the front runner for Assembly Minority Whip. Jon Bramnick has been quietly collecting commitments for support and appears to be much more popular among his colleagues than Munoz, who as the fourth ranking member of leadership, was next in line to succeed Frank Blee. Blee is expected to move up to the State Senate next month following the resignation of Bill Gormley.

MAYER/MORIARTY INTRODUCE BILL TO PROHIBIT UNSOLICITED TEXT MESSAGING ADVERTISEMENTS
Violators Would Be Subject To Fines Under The Consumer Fraud Act

(TRENTON) - Assemblymen David R. Mayer and Paul D. Moriarty have sponsored legislation to prohibit unsolicited advertisements by text messaging in an effort to help save consumers from having to pay for unwanted costs on their cell phone plans.

KEAN, MUNOZ, BRAMNICK: MOVE TO FREEZE POLITICALLY MOTIVATED GRANT FUNDS A VICTORY FOR TAXPAYERS
LEGISLATORS CALL ON GOVERNOR TO HOLD THOSE RESPONSIBLE FOR STEERING FUNDS INTO THEIR DISTRICTS ACCOUNTABLE

State Senator Thomas Kean, Jr., and Assemblymen Eric Munoz and Jon Bramnick today said that the Corzine administration's decision to freeze millions of dollars in state grant funds that were distributed as political pork in this year's budget is a victory for taxpayers. The District 21 legislators are also calling on Governor Jon Corzine to hold accountable those responsible for the unconstitutional manipulation of those funds.

The other Senate race already taking shape is in the 21st district, where Republican Assemblymen Eric Munoz and Jon Bramnick are already getting their ducks in order in the event that State Senator Tom Kean, Jr. wins the 2006 U.S. Senate race. Kean would resign his Senate seat in January 2007, necessitating a Special Election Convention to fill the remaining year of his current term. Munoz and Bramnick are no strangers to the Special Election Convention -- that's the way each of them got to the Legislature in the first place: Munoz won in 2001 when Kevin O'Toole replaced Louis Bassano in the State Senate; Bramnick won in 2003 when Kean took Richard Bagger's Senate seat -- he defeated Phil Morin, now the Union County Republican Chairman, by just three votes. Republicans say this contest would be decided a the convention and that the winner would be unlikely to receive a challenge in the June primary. The elevation of one of the two Assemblymen would, of course, trigger another Special Election Convention for an open Assembly seat -- the fourth in this district in five years.