Samantha Maltzman

Lobbyist/cable TV host Jim McQueeny is strongly denying an Inside Edge report that he was one of three people who worked on a plan for U.S. Senator Frank Lautenberg’s campaign to buy premium seats to a Bruce Springsteen concert for $108 and resell them to campaign contributors for $1,500. "This story is utterly and completely untrue, but you don't have the balls or the ethics to print the retraction it requires,” McQueeny wrote in a statement, printed in its entirety, to PolitickerNJ.com. “Wally was obviously using this political science fiction in an obvious competition with the X-Files movie opening for bizarre plots. Congrats, Wally, you won!"

Despite McQueeny’s denial, The Inside Edge stands behind our original report – based on several reliable sources -- that McQueeny, who served on Lautenberg’s Senate staff in the 1980’s, worked on the event with Dan Katz, the Senator’s Chief of Staff, and Samantha Maltzman, the campaign finance director. Read More >

Jim McQueeny, a lobbyist who hosts News 12 New Jersey’s Power & Politics, was one of the organizers of U.S. Senator Frank Lautenberg’s now controversial plan to buy 40 premium seats to a Bruce Springsteen concert for $108 and resell them to campaign contributors for $1,500. Lautenberg cancelled the fundraiser yesterday after The Record broke a story detailing the event, which involved a deal with the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority, a state agency, to obtain concert tickets set aside for VIP’s and political insiders. McQueeny, who served on Lautenberg’s staff in the 1980’s, worked on the event with Dan Katz, the Senator’s Chief of Staff, and Samantha Maltzman, the campaign finance director.

Update: McQueeny denies that he's involved in Lautenberg's campaign.
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Lautenberg district director Steve Lenox, Andrews chief Bill Caruso, and Democrats 2000 executive board member Elizabeth Meyers

SEA GIRT - It was a happy political scene to walk into there in the basement of the Parker House last night, as Obama button-clad volunteers with clipboards approached Hudson County political operatives and asked them if they wanted to sign on to help with the campaign.

Some of the latter were onetime Hillary Clinton backers for whom the change-up to Obama is a painful perhaps but ultimately natural function of primary politics.

They didn’t need the enthusiastic prodding of volunteers to get them to go there.

"We’re already on board," said Jason O’Donnell, chairman of the Bayonne City Regular Democratic Organization.

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Samantha Maltzman is Frank Lautenberg's new Finance DirectorThe former finance director for Sen. Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign has joined the re-election team of Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ).

Samantha Maltzman starts work today as finance director for Lautenberg, who's running against challenger, former U.S. Rep. Dick Zimmer.

After his primary with U.S. Rep. Rob Andrews (D-1), Lautenberg is in financial rebuilding mode, and that's where the campaign intends to make use of Maltzman's expertise.

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In an e-mail sent earlier today, Hillary Clinton’s National Finance Co-Chairman, John F.X. Graham, offered considerable praise to a multitude of Democratic leaders who played a role in Clinton’s 54%-44% victory in the New Jersey Democratic presidential primary:

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Chris Christie and Jon Corzine as The HoneymoonersRead PolitickerNJ.com's The Year in Review 2007, our annual lists of Winners & Losers of the Year, Politician of the Year, Best & Worst Campaigns, People to Watch, Rising Stars, and much more.

The list of Best Operatives of 2007 is headed by Raiyan Sayed, who managed Jim Whelan's Senate race, and Tom Fitzsimmons, who ran the campaigns of Jennifer Beck for State Senate and Caroline Casagrande and Declan O'Scanlon for Assembly.

Find out why Rodney Frelinghuysen is tougher than he looks, why Don DiFrancesco doesn't shock us, how Joe Roberts made the worst prediction of 2007, and what Jim Devine, Gerald Lange, Malik Cupid, Chris Daul and Chris Thieme have in common.

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HAPPY NEW YEAR FROM POLITICKERNJ.COM

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There is no shortage of offensive people in New Jersey politics, but none are more rude than Samantha Maltzman, the Finance Director for Hillary Clinton’s campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination. Top Clinton fundraisers constantly complain about her personality flaw and tell stories of her mistreatment of potential donors. Simply put, Maltzman is just plain obnoxious —and doesn’t have the talent to pull that off. Read More >