Paul Aronsohn

Former James E. McGreevey spokesman Paul Aronsohn is quite clever. By delaying the official formation of an Aronsohn for Congress campaign committee until late December, he avoids having to disclose exactly how much money he has raised, and the identity of his donors, until April. On the record, Aronsohn cryptically claims to have raised between $120,000 and $130,000. He won't say how much he has spent (or on what) and he declines to reveal how much money he has on hand right now. Aronsohn's primary rival, '04 nominee Dorothea Anne Wolfe, dropped out of the race in late January -- largely because she didn't feel her own $86,000 warchest would be sufficient to wrestle the nomination from Aronsohn.

Before she dropped out of the race, Wolfe filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission alleging that Aronsohn had spent more than the allowable $5,000 on his exploratory committee. Because Aronsohn has refused to release detailed campaign expenditures, a potential primary rival would have to wait until April -- after party organizations have selected their candidates -- to see if he spent more than the amount permitted. A Republican strategist told PoliticsNJ.com that it is unlikely that Aronsohn could have raised more than $100,000, set up a campaign website, hired consultants, and traveled numerous times to Washington for under $5,000.

While Aronsohn may be legally correct in his plan to spend a year "testing the waters" for a challenge to two-term Republican Congressman Scott Garrett, some pundits argue that the man who was the paid mouthpiece for the McGreevey administration -- it was Aronsohn who defended the hiring of Israeli poet Golan Cipel as the Governor's Homeland Security advisor -- lacks the luxury of playing cute with the facts. Aronsohn has argued that he was just following orders and that his defense of McGreevey and Cipel is not a reflection on him, although the claim that Aronsohn remains elusive with answers to reporter questions appears to be a valid complaint. One Trenton Democrat suggests that Aronsohn can help himself avoid references to his McGreevey media style by going out of his way to assure voters that he will not parse his words as a candidate for Congress.

Ridgewood -- Former Clinton Administration official Paul Aronsohn officially announced today his candidacy for the congressional seat in New Jersey's fifth district.

There are two candidates for the Democratic nomination for Congress in the fifth district, where GOP Congressman Scott Garrett is seeking re-election to a third term: Dorothea Anne Wolfe, a former Bergen County Improvement Authority Chairwoman who won 41% against Garrett in 2004, and Paul Aronsohn, a Public Affairs executive at Pfizer who served as Press Secretary to Governor James E. McGreevey. The likelihood that the Republicans will seek to exploit Aronsohn's connection to McGreevey is exactly why some Bergen Democratic officials are second guessing his candidacy. Both parties have suggested that his defense of Israeli poet Golan Cipel as the state Homeland Security advisor (Cipel "brings a wealth of experience to the job," Aronsohn said) will come up during the campaign, and Democrats, with a priority of re-electing County Executive Dennis McNerney in a potentially tough race against former gubernatorial candidate Todd Caliguire, are concerned that Cipel and McGreevey could become a local issue. As a result of working for McGreevey, Aronsohn has a further challenge of repairing strained relationships with the Trenton press corps.

But Aronsohn's key attribute, besides a resume that includes working for the U.S. Delegation to the United Nations, is his fundraising ability. New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson, former United Nations Ambassador Richard Holbrooke, ex-White House Press Secretary Mike McCurry and CNN host/Democratic strategist Paul Begala have all been helping Aronsohn raise money.

Wolfe has filed a complaint against Aronsohn with the Federal Election Commission, alleging that he failed to file campaign finance reports even though he has spent more than $5,000 exploring a potential House bid. Aronsohn says he will file as a candidate next week and believes he has followed the letter of the law. But as one Democratic elected official said, "Jim McGreevey's spokesman doesn't have the ability to parse words...he needs to follow the spirit of every law, not just the letter of it."

New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson, a possible candidate for the 2008 Presidential election, will be in New Jersey on December 13th to raise money for Paul Aronsohn, Jim McGreevey's former press secretary who is running for Congress in the fifth district. Aronsohn will face off against '04 nominee Dorothea Ann Wolfe, the former Bergen County Utilities Authority Chairwoman, who wants a second shot at Republican Congressman Scott Garrett. If he runs, Richardson, a former Congressman, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations and Secretary of Energy, would become the first major Latino contender for the Presidency.

Anne Wolfe, Democratic candidate for New Jersey’s Fifth Congressional District, issued the following statement:

“In my 2004 campaign, and since formally filing my candidacy for the 2006 race with the Federal Election Commission this June, I have carefully followed federal election law. Unfortunately, it has become clear that one of my potential opponents for the Democratic nomination in the Fifth District has not.

Alpha Mayor Harry Zikas has decided not to seek the Democratic nomination for Congress in the fifth district next year. The 26-year-old two-term Mayor says he's focusing on other things. Paul Aronsohn, who served as Gov. James E. McGreevey's first press secretary, and former Bergen County Utilities Authority Chairwoman Dorothea Anne Wolfe, the '04 nominee, are bothing seeking support to run against two-term Republican Congressman Scott Garrett next year.