Joseph Ariyan

State Sen. Gerald Cardinale says comments condemning his re-election campaign as divisive are “vile trash” and labeled Democratic State Chairman Joseph Cryan a “racist.” During the fall campaign, Cardinale said his Democratic opponent, Joseph Ariyan, was backed by "those who support terrorism."

“I partially agree with Cryin’ Cryan,” Cardinale told PolitickerNJ.com in an e-mail. “Inflammatory rhetoric that demonizes any ethnic, racial or religious group has no place in a political campaign. That's why I was very careful with the content of my ads. We identified a particular group, ADC, as being supportive of Hamas, Hezbollah etc. Those are recognized as terrorist organizations. We cited numerous Internet references including the ADL's web site reference to a Washington DC rally for Hezbolla on 8/12/06.”

Read an e-mail sent to The Record's Charles Stile and Alfred Doblin by State Senate Gerald Cardinale, in response to Stile's column on Cardinale's re-election campaign against Joseph Ariyan:

There’s no love lost between Republican State Sen. Gerald Cardinale and his Democratic opponent, Joseph Ariyan.

The campaign has been nasty from the start, with Cardinale painting Ariyan as a puppet of Bergen County Democratic Chairman Joseph Ferriero, and Ariyan criticizing Cardinale for taking trips paid for by the banking industry and then supporting their preferred legislation.

State Senator Gerald Cardinale’s latest attack on Democratic state Senate candidate Joe Ariyan has drawn sharp rebukes by some Jewish Democrats as well as at least one Republican.

Last week, Cardinale accused Ariyan of having ties to the Arab-American Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC), an advocacy group whose former communications director, Hussein Ibish, has made some controversial remarks in the past. Ariyan's law partner and campaign donor, Hani Khoury, served as president of the group’s New Jersey chapter in 2005 and 2006, and is still a member.

Recently, Cardinale sent out a campaign mailer saying that Ariyan has allowed “his firm to defend numerous illegal aliens detained by the federal government after 9-11 for suspected terrorism,” and noted Ariyan’s relationship with Khoury. Of the ADC, it said “This group has instructed its members to right (sic) letters in support of radical and extremist Palestinian attacks against the Jewish people and Israel.”

Back from Portugal, Governor Jon Corzine has added four extra stops to his schedule today – all in the 39th district, where Democrats think they have a shot at ousting three longtime Republican legislators.

Corzine, who was in Bergen County earlier this morning for a Bergen County Democratic Organization breakfast and two labor rallies, will return at 4:15 PM for stops in Northvale, Old Tappan, Emerson and Demarest.

Arab-American activist Hussein Ibish, who was attacked by State Sen. Gerald Cardinale yesterday for his connection to Democratic Senate candidate Joseph Ariyan’s law partner, says that “this turn of events in New Jersey shows that some unprincipled politicians still feel that ethnic baiting of this kind might still be an effective campaign tactic.”

The Asbury Park Press has endorsed Jennifer Beck over Ellen Karcher, the Press of Atlantic City is backing Jefferson Van Drew and James Whelan over Nicholas Asselta and Sonny McCullough, respectively, The Record wants Joseph Ariyan instead of Gerald Cardinale, and the Courier Post and the Philadelphia Inquirer have endorsed Phil Haines over Francis Bodine.

The Record has endorsed Democrat Joseph Ariyan for State Senator over GOP incumbent Gerald Cardinale and backed Democrat Esther Fletcher for Assembly over incumbent Republican John Rooney. They endorsed GOP Assemblywoman Charlotte Vandervalk. READ

Senate President Richard Codey has pulled back his financial commitments to Democratic candidate Joseph Ariyan, according to source.

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.