Nicholas Asselta

(VINELAND August 23) -- First District Senator Nick Asselta and his Assembly running mates, Norris Clark and Michael Donohue --responding to Attorney General Anne Milgram’s directive to state and local law enforcement authorities yesterday to make immigration checks a regular part of routine police procedure, and requiring state and local law enforcement authorities to notify Federal officials when they have reason to believe a suspect is in the country illegally -- today lauded her order and called on her to expand the list of alleged offenses that fall under the directive.

Democrats are spending money in four districts where they have a reasonable shot at picking up seats: against GOP incumbents Nicholas Asselta in district 1, Sonny McCullough in district 2, and Gerald Cardinale in the 39th; for open seats in District 8 (where Republican-turned-Democrat Assemblyman Francis Bodine faces Burlington County Clerk Philip Haines for the seat being vacated by retiring Senator Martha Bark.

The message from a major Republican player is simple: if Frank LoBiondo doesn’t step up and make sure his two close friends, State Senators Nicholas Asselta and James “Sonny” McCullough, have enough money to hold their seats in November, then LoBiondo shouldn’t count on huge party support when redistricting time comes – just four years from now. 

More importantly for LoBiondo is the threat of his own second district congressional seat in 2008 or 2010 if Asselta and/or McCullough lose.  The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has already begun to show interest in taking on LoBiondo, and the two Democratic Senate candidates running this year – Jefferson Van Drew and James Whelan – would be formidable rivals to LoBiondo in the next election.  Van Drew went to Washington earlier this year to meet with the DCCC about taking on LoBiondo in a district that is trending Democratic.

(VINELAND August 16) -- First District Senator Nick Asselta -- responding to Democrat Jeff Van Drew’s comment that “lax enforcement of immigration rules is a federal shortcoming, not a state failure” -- today urged Van Drew to join him in calling on the Governor to further strengthen New Jersey’s enforcement of laws against illegal immigration by moving to have State law enforcement authorities be trained and deputized to help Federal authorities enforce immigration and custom laws under Section 287(g) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, and, further, to seek passage of and sign State legislation outlawing so-called “Sanctuary Cities.”

(VINELAND August 15) -- First District Senator Nick Asselta --responding to Democrat Jeff Van Drew’s remark that Asselta is “full of beans” for calling for changes to New Jersey law regarding the treatment of illegal immigrants -- today called on Van Drew to point out which of the 1,201 bills introduced by the Assemblyman since he was first elected with Jim McGreevey six years ago deal with illegal immigration.

(VINELAND, August 15) -- First District Senator Nick Asselta and his Assembly running mates Norris Clark and Michael Donohue -- responding to yesterday’s release of a new survey by Rutgers-Eagleton regarding strong public opposition to the Democrats’ plans to monetize New Jersey’s toll roads -- today reiterated their own strong opposition to any such transaction, and declared the Democrats’ plan dead on arrival.

(CAPE MAY COURT HOUSE, August 14) -- First District Senator Nick Asselta and his Assembly running mate Michael Donohue -- following up on their statements of last week, and furthering the outlines of their proposals to address social strains caused by illegal immigration here in New Jersey -- today called on Trenton Democrats to address the stresses caused by an estimated 450,000 illegal immigrants here in New Jersey, and to put the needs of New Jersey’s citizens back in their rightful place above the desires of those whose first act in our nation was to violate our laws, by calling a special session of the legislature to reform the state’s immigration-related laws.

(VINELAND, August 6) -- First District Senator Nick Asselta and his Assembly running mates Norris Clark and Michael Donohue -- responding to news reports indicating that some of the money Assemblymen Jeff Van Drew and Nelson Albano voted to spend in preparation for the sale or lease of New Jersey’s toll roads has already been spent on a British consulting firm -- today called on Van Drew and Albano to share with their constituents what they knew about the contract and when they knew it.

Assemblyman Jeff Van Drew and state Senator Nicholas Asselta had a press release spat over the videographer who’s been tracking Van Drew.

Yesterday, Asselta put out a press release saying that Van Drew had attempted to kick out a cameraman working on behalf of the first district Republicans.