Michael halfacre

U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California and U.S. Rep. Rush Holt (D-Hopewell Twp.)

PRINCETON - A week to the day after Congress passed a health care reform bill that she personally maneuvered through the lower house halls of power, U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California on Saturday described the measure as a stimulus of economic and individual freedom.

"The public option creates dynamism in the economy," said Pelosi after touring the University Medical Center at Princeton with U.S. Rep. Rush Holt (D-Hopewell Twp.). "We want to encourage self-employment. We want people to take risks, and the biggest anvil around our entrepreneurial spirit is the cost of healthcare. This is a liberator for people.

"The premiums pay for the benefits," added the Democratic Party leader.

Pelosi was scheduled to attend a fundraiser on Holt's behalf after touring the hospital facility.

Although Holt regularly dispatches of his Republican challengers every two years by, on average, 30-point margins, he said he never underestimates his opponents in a Democratic district dominated by independent voters.

Fair Haven Mayor Michael Halfacre bashed U.S. Rep. Rush Holt (D-Hopewell) for being one of 75 Congressmen to continue support of federal funding for ACORN after staffers for the community organizing group were caught on camera coaching individuals posing as a prostitute and her pimp on how to evade taxes and hide cash.

Halfacre is seeking the Republican nomination to run against Holt next year.

"One again, Rush Holt has shown how out of touch he is with the people of the 12th Congressional District and that his attempts to portray himself as a moderate are just that- a portrayal", said Halfacre. "He was to the left of even his own party on cap and trade; he is to the left of his own party on healthcare reform and now, when 70% of his own party voted against giving any more funding to this controversial group, once again, Rush Holt stood with the far left of his party to continue funding them with taxpayer money. We seem to have a representative who thinks he represents San Francisco and not central New Jersey."

Holt was one of five New Jersey Democrats to vote against the resolution to withdraw federal funding to ACORN.  U.S. Reps. John Adler (D-Cherry Hill), Rob Andrews (D-Haddon Heights) and Steven Rothman (D-Fair Lawn) voted with the Republicans.

Fair Haven Mayor Mike Halfacre

TRENTON - Fair Haven Mayor and private practice attorney Mike Halfacre figures he will probably need between $500,000 and $1 million to run an effective campaign against U.S. Rep. Rush Holt (D-Hopewell Twp.) in this major media market called the 12th Congressional District, and hhe sees postive signs early in his effort to muster support.

"As I stand here today I've raised $35,000," said Halfacre, 42, standing on the State House steps at the second of two press conferences he held today to formally launch his bid for U.S. Congress, where he savaged the sitting congressman.

In an unsuccessful 2008 bid against Holt, Halfacre's Republican predecessor, Alan Bateman, raised as much over the entire course of his campaign, which landed him an ovr 20% loss.

Bateman told PolitickerNJ.com yesterday that he intends to again seek the Republican nomination in the 12th District but as he nurses $6,000 in debt from last year, Halfacre and his allies say at a certain point the former deputy mayor of Holmdel "has to stop tilting at windmills."

Mike Halfacre for Congress

Fair Haven Mayor Mike Halfacre

Fair Haven Mayor Michael Halfacre will hold two press conferences tomorrow to announce his decision to challenge U.S. Rep. Rush Holt (D-Hopewell).  

“In his 10 years in Congress, Rush Holt has been ineffective on matters big and small throughout the 12th Congressional District and has compiled a voting record which is not representative of the district he represents," Halfacre said in a statement. “At a time when Americans of all political stripes are growing increasingly concerned about record federal spending and ever expanding government involvement in the private sector, I believe my record as a tax cutting fiscal conservative will be an attractive alternative.”

Fair Haven Mayor Michael Halfacre is expected to enter the race for the Republican nomination for Congress in New Jersey's 12th district.  He wants toun against six-term U.S. Rep. Rush Holt (D-Hopewell). 

Holt, 60, was elected to Congress in 1998 in a 51%-48% upset victory that took advantage of incumbent Michael Pappas' weaknesses.  He defied pundits two years later by holding the seat against former U.S. Rep. Dick Zimmer, winning by just 651 votes.  Boosted by some adjustments to his district after the 2000 Census, Holt won 61% against former N.J. Secretary of State DeForest "Buster" Soaries in 2002, 59% against GOP activist Bill Spadea in 2004, 65% against former Helmetta Councilman Joseph Sinagra in 2006, and 62% against Holmdel Deputy Mayor Alan Bateman in 2008.