Nicholas Asselta

(VINELAND, October 25) – First District Senator Nick Asselta and his Assembly running mates Norris Clark and Mike Donohue today called on New Jersey Attorney General Anne Milgram immediately to investigate a series of suspect campaign finance transactions funneling hundreds of thousands of dollars from the Camden County Democratic Committee through the Cape May County Democratic Committee to the election fund of Democrats Jeff Van Drew and Nelson Albano in clear violation of several New Jersey campaign finance laws.

The race for State Senator in District 2 is a Toss-Up, while Nicholas Asselta and Ellen Karcher could be headed for defeat, according to a new PoliticsNJ.com Battleground '07 analysis.  READ

Anne Milgram is going to be busy in the first district.

Just before state Senator Nicholas Asselta and his Assembly running mates were scheduled to hold a press conference asking the Attorney General to investigate Democratic wheeling of campaign funds in the first district in 2005, Assembly Speaker Pro-Tempore Wilfredo Caraballo called on Milgram to investigate whether first district Republicans transferred money between their own campaign accounts to circumvent contribution limits.

The Republicans seized on a Tuesday investigative report from the Press of Atlantic City that showed the Camden County Democratic Committee circumventing campaign contribution caps two years ago by donating $400,000 to the Cape May Democratic Organization, which then went directly to an ad blitz in the Philadelphia television market on behalf of the Assembly campaigns of Jeff Van Drew and Nelson Albano.

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.

(VINELAND, October 23) – First District Senator Nick Asselta today called on Democrat Jeff Van Drew to explain his vote to raise taxes on home sales in New Jersey – a tax increase that cost New Jersey taxpayers $77 million per year.

Key South Jersey Democrats believe that they could emerge from the fall midterm elections with seven State Senate seats, giving them a formidable block if there leadership contests.  Four seats are locks: incumbents Stephen Sweeney, Frederick Madden, and John Adler, and Dana Redd, who is seeking Wayne Bryant’s seat in Camden County.   Democrats are very high on their chances to oust Republicans Nicholas Asselta and James “Sonny” McCullough, and see a possible pickup in the open eighth district, where their Senate candidate is Francis Bodine, a Republican Assemblyman until he switched parties last spring.

In key State Senate races so far, daily newspapers have endorsed the challengers -- in each case, from the State Assembly: the Press of Atlantic City has endorsed Democrats James Whelan and Jefferson Van Drew over GOP Senators Sonny McCullough and Nicholas Asselta, respectively; and the Asbury Park Press is backing Republican Jennifer Beck over Senator Ellen Karcher.

(VINELAND, October 22) -- First District Senator Nick Asselta today called on Democrat Jeff Van Drew to explain his vote to raise taxes on New Jersey businesses by cutting in half certain deductions -- a tax increase that cost New Jersey taxpayers $130 million per year.

The Press of Atlantic City has endorsed Democrat Jeff Van Drew in his bid to unseat Republican State Sen. Nicholas Asselta in the 1st district.  READ

Political insiders won’t want to miss this weekend’s political programming on NJN.

State Senate candidates Nicholas Asselta and Jeff Van Drew will appear together on “On the Record” with Michael Aron. The show will air on Sunday at 9 and 11 am, and Monday at 6:30 am.

Tonight at 6:30 PM, you can catch PoliticsNJ.com’s Matt Friedman on “Reporters Roundtable,” along with David Chen of the New York Times, Cynthia Burton of the Philadelphia Inquirer and Dustin McNichol of the Star-Ledger.  The panel will discuss several topics including the Clean Elections program and the 12th district state Senate contest.  The show will repeat on Sunday at 10 AM.