Marie Tasy

Now that Republican gubernatorial nominee Chris Christie has selected a pro-choice running mate, the state’s biggest pro-life advocacy group is unlikely to endorse him.

“With the lieutenant governor pick, I don’t see how we can endorse someone who has a pro-choice running mate,” said New Jersey Right to Life Executive Director Marie Tasy.  

Christie today tapped Monmouth County Sheriff Kim Guadagno to run for lieutenant governor on his ticket.  She revealed her that she is pro-choice at a press conference with Christie in Asbury Park today.  

Tasy stressed that the endorsement decision is not up solely to her, but to a panel of four leaders of the group’s political action committee that includes her.  

New Jersey Right to Life stayed out of the Republican gubernatorial primary, since both Christie and Lonegan said they were against abortion.

“We take Chris Christie at his word that if elected he will work to enact life-protecting laws that are overwhelmingly supported by New Jersey voters,” said Tasy. 

Conservative activist Steve Lonegan said that Kim Guadagno’s statement that she was pro-choice today was a let down, but that it remains to be seen whether she’ll have the support of most conservatives.

“One big disappointment right out of the box is her abortion position,” said Lonegan, who lost the Republican gubernatorial primary to Chris Christie last month.  “But the interesting thing was it wasn’t one of the proven liberals, and that’s a good sign. Had he picked a [Bergen County Clerk] Kathleen Donovan or [Assemblyman] Jon Bramnick, they would have totally blown off the conservative base.”  

Still, Lonegan said that simply being pro-choice would be a deal breaker for many conservatives.  

Lonegan noted that the state’s biggest pro-life group did not endorse anyone in the primary.  

“Remember Marie Tasy and New Jersey Right to Life did not endorse in this primary.  So now how do we feel?  I guarantee you unequivocally, I would have chosen a good, solid pro-life lieutenant governor that reflected my views,” said Lonegan.  “So maybe this is an attempt for the political insiders to appeal to everybody, to pander to both sides.”

New Jersey Right to Life Executive Director Marie Tasy is taking a wait and see approach on Republican gubernatorial nominee Chris Christie’s running mate.

Although Christie has said that he converted to a pro-life viewpoint in the 1990s, both the women most talked about as his candidate for lieutenant governor – Bergen County Clerk Kathleen Donovan and state Sen. Diane Allen (R-Edgewater Park) – are pro-choice.  

Tasy, however, said that she will withhold judgment until a pick is made, and would not say whether her group would withhold an endorsement from Christie if he picked a pro-choicer. 

Steve Lonegan fired a clear and direct warning shot at Chris Christie today, suggesting that the endorsement he offered in his concession speech one week ago is based upon the continuation of his conservative agenda during his general election campaign against Democratic Gov. Jon Corzine.  But if Christie seeks a move to the political center, as many GOP primary winners do in New Jersey, he could alienate Lonegan and his core political supporters.

One interpretation of Lonegan’s intentions: that Christie needs to proceed with caution as he considers pro-choice running mates.  State Sen. Diane Allen (R-Edgewater Park) and Bergen County Clerk Kathleen Donovan are reportedly the leading candidates for Lt. Governor on the GOP ticket.  Instead, some Lonegan backers are telling Christie to look at three other candidates: Assemblywoman Alison McHose (R-Franklin) and Monmouth County Sheriff Kim Guadagno.

Lonegan is taking some heat from supporters for his conciliatory primary night endorsement of Christie, according to sources close to the former Bogota Mayor.  Also taking some heat is New Jersey Right to Life (NJRTL) Legislative Affairs Director Marie Tasy, whom some Lonegan supporters insist backed Christie.  Sources say that Tasy stopped returning Lonegan’s telephone calls in January, and even prevented Lonegan volunteers from handing out literature at a NJRTL dinner.

So far, Assemblyman Mike Doherty (R-Washington) is the only announced candidate to succeed Congressman-elect Leonard Lance (R-Flemington) in the state Senate. But he’s already won the endorsement of the state’s major pro-life organization, New Jersey Right to Life.

The group’s executive director, Marie Tasy, lauded Doherty as a “principled leader on matters concerning the sanctity of human life,” noting that his voting record has been firmly pro-life and that as a Warren County freeholder he “led the effort” against publicly funding Planned Parenthood.

As U.S. Attorney Christopher Christie prepares to run for Governor, he has the luxury of a clean slate ideologically: Getty Images Photo
Yesterday, when veteran Republican political operative Dan Gallic announced that he was forming an organization to draft conservative activist Steve Lonegan into the Governor's race next year, he lamented the candidates Republicans typically choose for statewide races as "weak-kneed wimpy moderates who believe in nothing and are afraid to throw a punch."

Today, Gallic said that language doesn't apply to the two other most high profile potential candidates next year: U.S. Attorney Christopher Christie and biotech millionaire John Crowley.

"I was referring to the past slew of candidates who have lost by 9 or 10 points," said Gallic, who managed conservative State Sen. Joe Pennacchio's run for U.S. Senate earlier this year. "So far what I've seen is a far better group of candidates than the Republicans have put up in quite some time, all of which have no ties to the establishment at this point."

Scotch Plains Mayor Marty Marks won the endorsement of New Jersey Right to Life for his 7th district congressional run.

Marks, a dentist who is running to the right of six other candidates in the hotly contested Republican primary, used the pro-life endorsement to bolster his conservative credentials. 

“This endorsement will provide a strong base of voters in both the primary and general election from which he can build for victory.  NRTL-PAC will utilize its various resources to help elect Martin Marks to Congress,” said the group’s director, Marie Tasy.

Critics say he's ineffective, but Gov. Jon Corzine said he has a lot to show for his first two years in office.  In an interview on Wednesday, Corzine pointed out that his administration will shortly release its new school funding formula, while property tax growth has significantly slowed under his watch and rebates have been sent out.   They've created an earned income tax credit, maintained a relatively low unemployment rate and helped shepherd in a syringe exchange program.

Soon, Corzine will come out with what may be his boldest move yet: the secret, controversial asset monetization plan to leverage toll roads to put much needed money in state coffers.  (No, Corzine would not say how much tolls will rise).

New Jersey Right to Life
113 North Avenue West
Cranford, NJ 07016

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Marie Tasy
Executive Director, 732 846-2000

$250 Million Taxpayer Subsidized Stem Cell Institute Bill is a Loan to Clone Scheme

May 18, 2006�

“On May 17, NJ Senate President Codey and a majority of NJ Senators advanced Big Biotech’s $250 Million ‘Loan to Clone’ Scheme which will result in the exploitation of women and the mass production of cloned human embryos and fetuses for use in destructive experimental research,� said Marie Tasy, Executive Director of New Jersey Right to Life. All this is being done at a time the state is facing a $4 Billion budget shortfall. Under this legislation, $150M will be spent on a stem cell research institute operated jointly by UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and Rutgers University in New Brunswick, NJ. UMDNJ is currently under a federal probe for “unethical and potentially illegal� activities involving the misspending of thousands in public funds.

New Jersey Right to Life Sets "The Record" Straight

New Jersey Right to Life issued the following statement today in response to media reports that it has been cited for "illegally spending charitable contributions" from the use of the proceeds of its annual raffle.

NJRTL categorically denies any misuse or illegal spending of the charitable contributions of its donors. Contrary to the statements published by The Record in its May 9, 2006 article, NJRTL has never been cited by any regulatory body for "improperly diverting proceeds" of its annual raffle. In 2003, NJRTL inadvertently used approximately 2% of its 2003 raffle proceeds to pay for a raffle dinner for its members. Upon learning that it mistakenly used raffle proceeds, it immediately reimbursed its raffle account for that amount.