Keith Davis

State Democratic Party Chair Joe Cryan, left, mingles with Northfield Councilman Jimmy Martinez and the Rev. Reginald Floyd, right.

EGG HARBOR CITY – When the better-known names faded, Atlantic County Democrats turned to two relative newcomers – Northfield Councilman Jimmy Martinez and Northfield attorney and Minister Reginald Floyd - who accepted their party’s nomination tonight at the Vienna Inn on the White Horse Pike.

By all accounts good guys in their party’s eyes, the pair nonetheless emanated “B” team presence after freeholders Alisa Cooper and Charlie Garrett and former Atlantic County Prosecutor Jeff Blitz made the rumor rounds as early favorites these last few weeks to face incumbent GOP Assemblyman John Amodeo and Assemblyman Vince Polistina in a South Jersey war - only to decide against running 

Republicans promptly pounced on the news coming out of Egg Harbor City tonight.

Former Atlantic County Prosecutor Jeffrey Blitz, a Republican who Democrats recruited to run for assembly in the 2nd Legislative District, has turned down the offer.

“I made it known early on after I gave it some thought that I didn’t want to be a candidate,” said Blitz, 67, who served for 22 years as county prosecutor.  

Democrats were hoping to launch a major offensive against incumbents Vince Polistina (R-Egg Harbor Township) and John Amodeo (R-Margate), but top state party insiders felt that Blitz was the only potential candidate who could be competitive in the current political climate.  

Last month, the Press of Atlantic City reported that Blitz’s name surfaced in a Democratic poll, although by that time, Blitz said, he had already taken his name out of the running.

A Republican has already emerged to replace Atlantic County Freeholder Tom Russo, who announced yesterday that he will retire at the end of his current term.

Frank Formica, a Margate resident who runs the Formica Brothers Bakery in the Ducktown section of Atlantic City, announced his candidacy with fanfare today at a ceremony presided over by Egg Harbor Township Mayor/former state Sen. James “Sonny” McCullough.  

In attendance were most of Atlantic County’s Republican power players, including County Executive Dennis Levinson; Assemblymen Vince Polistina and John Amodeo; and Atlantic County Republican Chairman Keith Davis.

“As the Press of Atlantic City aptly stated, if Milam or one of his constituents ‘stubbed a toe on a sidewalk while wearing flip-flops, the next day [he’d] be sponsoring a bill rewriting the specifications for concrete sidewalks and mandating that flip-flops sold in New Jersey come with toe protection.’

Senate Minority Leader Tom Kean, Jr., (R-Union), left; and state Sen. Kevin O'Toole, GOP chairman of Essex County and chair of the GOP chairs.

PRINCETON – It didn’t look like a scene of devastation – or of a coming battle.

In the swank lobby of the Hyatt Regency, water tumbled over rocks and splashed into a pool, where Koi fish gaped up at a swiftly striding figure heading toward a crew of young, BlackBerry-thumbing operatives at the far end of a long, carpeted corridor.

On his way to the Republican Party chairmen’s dinner, Chris Christie took several questions before an aide steered him toward his destination: a room in which 15 of the party’s 21 chair people and party leaders waited to assess the merits of the former U.S. Attorney and three other Republican candidates for governor a month in front of the first county convention in Union.

Like a lot of his colleagues, Ocean County Republican Chairman George Gilmore personally thinks Christie gives his party the best shot at rebirth.

“I will be endorsing Chris Christie,” he said, against the nagging back story of former Bogota Mayor Steve Lonegan, who for months has aggressively organized a grassroots effort in the likely event he’s unable to scale the walls of the establishment at a majority of the party’s nominating conventions.

GOP State Chairman Tom Wilson has a problem: the state party has no money.

The New Jersey Republican State Committee has virtually no money and is at risk of not making payroll, according to a GOP County Chairman who will be attending a meeting of party leaders tonight where the party's financial woes will be discussed. 

One Republican gubernatorial candidate, former U.S. Attorney Christopher Christie, has already made a decision to replace GOP State Chairman Tom Wilson after the June primary, sources say.  Gubernatorial candidates traditionally get the chance to pick their own State Chairman after the primary.  One possible candidate if Christie wins the nomination is Keith Davis, the Atlantic County Republican Chairman.

“Corzine may like to go on CNBC to tell everyone how smart he is on financial issues, but we sure haven’t seen any of that intelligence in how Corzine has conducted himself as Governor for the past four years.”

Last year, Americans for Prosperity, a taxpayer advocacy group headed up by former Bogota Mayor Steve Lonegan, targeted then- Republican state Sen. Nicholas Asselta for supporting paid family leave.

Now, as Lonegan seeks the Republican nomination for governor, that could hurt Lonegan’s chance at winning support in Atlantic County.

“As a Republican County chairman, I question why someone who wants to be our gubernatorial candidate would go out of his way to spend money against a Republican, as opposed to spending those resources to grow our Republican Party in this state.  That’s something I want to sit down and talk to Steve about,” said Atlantic County Republican Chairman Keith Davis.  “We have to stop shooting at each other and start shooting at the opposition.”

“If Senator Whelan truly believes what he said yesterday and disavows what he said six weeks ago, then he should immediately pledge his support for state legislation to do for New Jersey what County Executive Dennis Levinson and the Republican Freeholder Board has done for Atlantic County"

“The fact is Senator Whelan has mastered the art of negative campaigning. He’s an expert at it.”