Linda Stender

State Sen. Leonard Lance (R-Flemington) defeated Assemblywoman Linda Stender (D-Fanwood) in a hotly contested race for Congress in New Jersey's 7th district, keeping the seat of retiring U.S. Rep. Mike Ferguson in Republican hands. Lance beat Stender by a 51%-42% margin.

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SPRINGFIELD – At the Union County Central Labor Council’s headquarters this afternoon, Democratic State Chairman Joe Cryan told about 100 union members getting ready to canvass for Assemblywoman Linda Stender’s congressional bid that turnout was high in Democratic areas of the 7th District, but that it was also high in the traditionally Republican counties of Somerset and Hunterdon.

“Our tracks around the state and our tracks around this district show that our folks are coming out to vote, but you know what? Theirs are too.  What you’re going to do over the next few hours are going to make the difference.” 

Speaking to PolitickerNJ.com before the rally, Cryan talked up Gov. Corzine, saying that he was the person most responsible for what is likely to be a victory for Barack Obama in New Jersey, and U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg.

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SPRINGFIELD – At a labor rally today, Assemblywoman Linda Stender said that she feels confident that the high turnout today will benefit her campaign.

“I think it’s thrilling for our Democracy to see people get involved,” she said. “And I have to say, as I’m spending my day continuing to talk to voters at diners, the train station and all that stuff, it feels to me like the numbers are with me in terms of people that have already voted for me. We’ll see. It’s going to be a long day.”

Stender said that 20 percent of registered voters had already turned out by 9:00a.m. in her hometown of Fanwood.

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CRANFORD -- State Sen. Leonard Lance (R-Flemington) said turnout is high today, but that it won’t necessarily benefit his opponent in the 7th District Congressional race.

“I’ve been endorsed by every editorial board based upon my independence and views on the issues, and I believe that the public will vote based upon the issues,” said Lance, who’s running against Assemblywoman Linda Stender (D-Fanwood).

At his own polling place in solidly Republican Hunterdon County, Lance and his wife were voters numbers 305 and 306 as of 10:30 a.m., which Lance called a “very healthy” turnout.

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It's election eve, which means that it's time to journey up the Ivory Tower to hear what political analysts think will happen tomorrow.

The four analysts PolitickerNJ.com talked to today were unanimous in predicting a big win for Barack Obama over John McCain both nationally and in New Jersey, and were nearly certain that incumbent U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-Cliffside Park) would easily beat down the challenge by former Rep. Dick Zimmer.   

They were also unanimous in picking state Sen. John Adler (D-Cherry Hill) over Republican Medford Mayor Chris Myers in the 3rd Congressional District.

Three out of four predicated that U.S. Rep. Scott Garrett (R-Wantage) would beat challenger Dennis Shulman in the 5th District, but by a narrow margin.  

Three out of four also felt that Assemblywoman Linda Stender (D-Fanwood) had the edge in her race against state Sen. Leonard Lance (R-Flemington) in the 7th Congressional District, while one gave Lance a narrow victory. Read More >

The Pindell Report, Politicker.com's political and campaign forecast, has released its final projections for Election Day. Using polling, historical and demographic trends, tracking campaign visits and spending, The Pindell Report ranks races in terms of their competitiveness and their status as either a toss-up or leaning or likely voting in a particular way.

In New Jersey, The Pindell Report's final breakdown is as follows:

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A bottomed-out President George W. Bush and losses in New Jersey presidential elections extending to the late 1980s invariably prompt Republicans to designate the Reagan era as a modern touchstone for their party.

The fact that he won here in back-to-back elections still sparks the GOP to pepper their fighting words with Reagan invocations, evidenced by McCain surrogates specifically targeting “Reagan Democrats” at the opening of their headquarters in Woodbridge this summer.

The Gipper remains the man among GOP, going up to the top of their ticket, where Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) repeatedly refers to Reagan as his hero and Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin hits a raise the roof crescendo every time she utters the late president’s name on the stump.

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MARTINSVILLE - Assemblywoman Linda Stender (D-Fanwood) said the fact that her 7th Congressional District opponent accepted an endorsement from President George W. Bush, $5,00 from Exxon/Mobil, and advertising capital from the Bush-backing Freedom’s Watch, make it hard to classify state Sen. Leonard Lance (R-Hunterdon) as a moderate.

“It all adds up to someone who will continue Bush’s policies,” said Stender at a buck-up-the-troops stop here at Somerset County Democratic Party headquarters on Sunday afternoon.

She also objected to Lance’s tagline that he’s a fiscal conservative, citing his support for Gov. Christie Todd Whitman.

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KENILWORTH -- Talk about a study in contrast.

Yesterday, Democrats attracted about 1,500 people to Union County College in Cranford to hear former President Bill Clinton stump for Assemblywoman Linda Stender’s (D-Fanwood) congressional bid.

Tonight, despite pitchers of free beer, the Union County Republicans attracted about 100 people to Kenilworth’s VFW hall to support Stender’s rival, state Sen. Leonard Lance (R-Flemington), and Republican U.S. Senate candidate Dick Zimmer.

Yesterday, Clinton was Stender’s main draw. Tonight, Union County Republican Chairman Phil Morin donned a mask of Clinton, called himself “Phil Clinton” and endorsed Lance.

“If anybody wants to join me, I’ll be at the Hooters on Route 22,” he said.

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SOMERSET – Field general Dale Florio goes over the numbers again in Somerset County Republican Party headquarters.  He doesn’t appear overly confident but he believes his party can comfortably fend off the other side, which is making a big play here in a presidential year when their national ticket has a double digit lead in New Jersey.

In the next room, three volunteers work the phones as pedestrians blow in from Main Street and pick up handfuls of “McCain-Palin” lawn signs.

“I’ve been pleased with the energy level – that energy surge close to Election Day,” says Florio, Republican Party county chair, looking up from his desk. “You’d have figured with the war, the economy and the last eight years that we’d have less excitement, but McCain is his own man. Quite frankly, with the Obama campaign’s focus elsewhere, it’s taken the Democrats’ focus away from New Jersey.”

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