Scott Garrett

New Jersey's congressional delegation voted 8-5 along party lines in support of a House resolution voicing disapproval of U.S. Rep. Joe Wilson (R-S.C.), who shouted "You lie!" during President Barack Obama's address to a joint session of Congress last week.  Democrats John Adler, Rob Andrews, Rush Holt, Frank Pallone, Bill Pascrell, Donald Payne, Steven Rothman, and Albio Sires voted yes.  Republicans Rodney Frelinghuysen, Scott Garrett, Leonard Lance, Frank LoBiondo and Christopher Smith voted no.  The resolution passed 240-17.  Seven Republicans voted yes and twelve Democrats voted no.

All eight countywide elected officials from Sussex County today endorsed Christopher Christie for the Republican gubernatorial nomination, along with Sussex GOP Chair Ailish Hambel and former County Chairman Richard Zeoli.  But Christie has not yet scored a Sussex sweep, with U.S. Rep. Scott Garrett (R-Wantage), State Sen. Steven Oroho (R-Franklin), Assemblywoman Alison McHose (R-Franklin), Assemblyman Gary Chiusano (R-Frankford), former State Sen. Robert Littell, and former GOP State Chair Virginia Littell still uncommitted in the Republican primary for Governor.

U.S. Rep. Scott Garrett (R-Wantage) was the only member of the New Jersey congressional delegation to vote against legislation to pass a 90% tax on bonuses over $250,000 at financial institutions that received federal bailout money.   The House passed the measure 328-93, with U.S. Reps. Rodney Frelinghuysen (R-Harding), Leonard Lance (R-Clinton), Frank LoBiondo (R-Ventnor) and Christopher Smith (R-Hamilton) among the 85 Republican Congressmen who backed the measure.

I first met Scott Garrett when I began my service as Senior Policy Advisor on the Assembly Republican Staff in June, 1992 while he was serving in his second term as an Assemblyman.  Over the past 17 years, both in his capacity as an Assemblyman and as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, I have had the good fortune to work with Scott on numerous issues, and my respect for his intellect, character, ethics, integrity, and courage has grown.

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-- "Just whose side is Christie on???"

LONEGAN: CHRISTIE NEEDS TO BACK UP THE MEN WHO ENDORSED HIM

KENILWORTH -- Republican gubernatorial candidate Steve Lonegan today praised the five New Jersey house members who voted against Barack Obama's inflationary pork barrel "stimulus" package, including four who endorsed Chris Christie, and urged Christie to join him in backing up the New Jersey Republican Congressional team.

Englwood Mayor Michael Wildes and President Barack Obama

Englewood Mayor Michael Wildes, who announced on Friday that he will not seek re-election to a third term this year, has over $1 million in a federal campaign account.  He's been waiting for a chance to run for Congress with the same intensity that U.S. Rep. Steve Rothman has been positioning himself to run statewide. 

One option for Wildes, who is a fundraising machine, would be to push state Democratic leaders to move Englewood - and maybe some other more Democrat-friendly towns - into the fifth district after the 2010 census.  That could set up a race between Wildes and conservative U.S. Rep. Scott Garrett (R-Wantage) in 2012.

Richard Zeoli, the author of The 7 Principles of Public Speaking, is giving up the Sussex GOP Chairman post to run for Freeholder.

Former Sparta Mayor Ailish Hambel has emerged as the leading candidate to replace Richard Zeoli as Sussex County Republican Chairman when County Committee members hold a special election on February 7.  Zeoli, the Chairman since 2003, is resigning on Saturday to focus on his campaign for the GOP Freeholder nomination.

Hambel was Acting County Chairman briefly in 2003. As Vice Chair, she took over when David Mortimer resigned to run for the State Assembly after Scott Garrett won a seat in Congress.  Jill Space, the current Vice Chair, will be Acting County Chairman for the week between Zeoli's resignation and the election of his successor.

Zeoli, a former aide to Garrett and Acting Governor Donald DiFrancesco, is seeking the seat of Glen Vetrano, who is not a candidate for re-election. 

The text of Zeoli's letter to the County Committee follows:

The New Jersey House delegation voted along party lines in support of President Barack Obama’s $89 billion economic stimulus package.  New Jersey’s eight Democratic Congressmen voted yes, while the five Republicans voted no.

From right: Garrett, Doherty and U.S. Rep. Mike Ferguson (R-Warren Township) (source: njtrl.org)

Assemblyman and state senate candidate Michael Doherty (R-Washington Township) continued to shore up his conservative credentials today, rolling out the endorsement of U.S. Rep. Scott Garrett (R-Wantage.)

“I have worked with Mike for many years, first in the state legislature and now as a Congressman, and he has consistently fought for smaller government, less regulation and lower taxes,” said Garrett, who recently fended off a well-funded challenge to win reelection by a slightly greater margin than in 2006. “Mike is a strong supporter of the Constitution, and he has been consistently endorsed by pro-business groups as a result of his record in the state legislature.”

Doherty is running to replace state Sen. Leonard Lance (R-Clinton), who will join Garrett in New Jersey’s Republican congressional delegation in January. Assemblywoman Marcia Karrow (R-Flemington) is also running, and Hunterdon County Freeholder Matt Holt is considering a bid.

A pair of Republicans involved in the 2008 campaign in Bergen County seem to have different views on how the campaign was run, and how they should be run in the future. Alan Marcus, a public relations executive and former Bergen County GOP Executive Director who worked on Kathleen Donovan's successful re-election campaign for County Clerk, wrote an Op-Ed for The Record last week criticizing the failed Republican Freeholder candidates for running almost exclusively on the reform issue and talking about indicted Bergen County Democratic Chairman Joseph Ferriero. Ferriero, Marcus says, "is known to a minute segment of the population." Marcus also beat up on U.S. Rep. Scott Garrett, saying he didn't appeal to votes outside his conservative base.

On Sunday, Republican political consultant David Murray, who worked for the GOP Freeholder candidates, wrote a Letter to the Editor taking issue with Marcus' comments. He says that while Donovan's win was impressive, it was largely due to name identification and not any groundbreaking targeting or strategies.