Robert Schroeder

Former NFL star Jon Runyan has already fumbled: he put out a statement expressing his interest in running for Congress without first talking to the most powerful Republican in his district, Ocean County GOP Chairman George Gilmore.  Gilmore, a superstar since he delivered a 70,000-vote margin for Gov.-elect Christopher Christie last week, has reacted poorly to demonstrations of disrespect like this in the past.  In 2005, Gilmore gave GOP gubernatorial candidate Douglas Forrester a list of calls he needed to make to secure support in Ocean County.  To Gilmore's annoyance, Forrester never made most of the calls; Gilmore instead gave the Ocean County GOP line to Robert Schroeder, who diligently courted local Republicans.  Forrester won the primary, but never got Gilmore fully engaged; he won Ocean County by about a third of what Christie did.

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WASHINGTON TWP – While many residents of the Garden State sat home watching the Giants and Jets win on Sunday, Assemblywoman Charlotte Vandervalk (R-Hillsdale) and Assembly Candidate Bob Schroeder (R-Washington Twp) joined thousands of District 39 taxpayers at annual town days across northern Bergen County.

HILLSDALE – Assemblywoman Charlotte Vandervalk (R- Westwood) and Councilman Robert Schroeder (R-Twp of Washington) pledged their support for legislation proposed by Assembly members Alex DeCroce, Dave Rible and Vince Polistina which would establish the Office of Auditor General.

HILLSDALE – The New Jersey Education Association (NJEA) has endorsed Assemblywoman Charlotte Vandervalk (R- Hillsdale) and Councilman Robert Schroeder (R- Twp of Washington) in their bids to represent District 39 in the New Jersey State Assembly.

In Case You Missed It: The Price of Freedom by Councilman Bob Schroeder as published in the Pascack Press

The Bergen County Republican Organization will hold a convention tonight to pick two Freeholder candidates and settle a hotly contested race for State Committeewoman.  Four candidates are seeking a shot to challenge Democratic incumbents Julie O'Brien and Vernon Walton: Mahwah Councilman Robert Hermansen, Paramus GOP activist John Driscoll, '08 Freeholder candidates Christopher Calabrese, and perennial candidate Sabaudin "Sab' Skenderi.  The front runners are Hermansen and Driscoll, who have been endorsed by the BCRO Policy Committee and won the Northeast Republican Organization (NERO) convention two weeks ago. 

The real race to watch is for State Committeewoman, where Eleonore Nissley, the grand dame of the Bergen County GOP, is seeking a return to the seat she held from 1965 to 2005.  Nissley narrowly lost her bid for an eleventh term to 25-year-old Collette Campbell, who managed Steve Lonegan's campaign for Governor.  Campbell resigned her seat earlier this year. A former GOP State Vice Chairwoman, Nissley faces competition from Mary Conway, who has the backing of GOP County Chairman Robert Yudin, and former Franklin Lakes Councilwoman Pearl Spector.

Bergen Republicans will also endorse a candidate for Governor.  Former U.S. Attorney Christopher Christie is the favorite to win.  He has dominated the endorsement game in Lonegan's home county and won 91% of the vote at the NERO convention.  Lonegan has stopped campaigning for organizational endorsements and made an unsuccessful effort to get Yudin to remove his name from the ballot.  Even though Lonegan is not actively seeking votes, it will be telling to see how well he does on his home turf.

The fifteen-member Ocean County Republican Screening Committee has voted to endorse former U.S. Attorney Christopher Christie for the GOP gubernatorial nomination.  If Christie wins the Republican convention next Monday, he'll run on the organization line in the June primary.  But the line has not delivered a plurality of Ocean County primary voters in a contested gubernatorial primary since 1993.   

A victory at the screening committee four years ago did not assure Morris County Freeholder John Murphy the organization line in the 2005 gubernatorial primary.  A week later, Murphy lost the convention on the second ballot to Washington Township Committeeman Robert Schroeder by a 52%-25% margin, with Douglas Forrester finishing third.  In the Republican primary, Forrester carried Ocean County by a 37%-27% margin over Bret Schundler, with Schroeder finishing third with 15%, followed by Steve Lonegan (15%), Murphy (6%), Paul DiGaetano (6%) and Todd Caliguire (2%). 

Washington Township Committeeman Robert Schroeder, who sought the 2005 Republican gubernatorial nomination, is now the favorite to replace John Rooney in the State Assembly next year.

Former gubernatorial candidate Robert Schroeder easily won the endorsement of the Bergen County Republican Organization (BCRO) in his bid to succeed John Rooney as an Assemblyman from the 39th district.  Schroeder beat former River Edge Councilman John Felice, 194-32.  In a district where Democrats have not won a legislative race since 1977, Schroeder becomes an overwhelming favorite to go to the Legislature.

Look for Schroeder, a 49-year-old millionaire businessman who self-funded his 2005 campaign for Governor, to emerge as a leader within the Assembly Republican caucus next year.  The Washington Township Committeeman will have the ability to help raise money for other GOP Assembly candidates this year.