Scott Garrett

In the 5th Congressional District, incumbent U.S. Rep. Scott Garrett will debate Democratic challenger Dennis Shulman three times this month.

The debates could provide good political theater in this potentially competitive race.  Shulman, a blind rabbi and psychologist, has unleashed his considerable campaign war chest on Garrett (R-Wantage) in the form of advertising, highlighting Garrett’s Farmland Assessment Tax Break.  Garrett, meanwhile, has kept a high profile in Washington as one of the most outspoken critics of the recently passed financial bailout package.

The first debate will take place at Temple Emanuel in Woodcliff Lake on Sunday, October 19th at 7p.m.  The candidates will debate the following Wednesday at Sussex Community College at 8p.m., followed by a Friday debate on WRNJ radio at 11:00 a.m.

With the House likely to vote on the revised bailout package tomorrow, six of the seven New Jersey congressmen who voted against it on Monday have either not decided or not indicated how they will vote tomorrow. 

Only Scott Garrett (R-Wantage) has given any inkling as to how he’ll vote.  On Fox News this morning, he said that the bill has barely changed.

“Basically we’re getting the exact same bill with some pork added to it to sweeten things up.  And that doesn’t make matters better. It really makes matters worse,” he said. 

The New Jersey delegation's vote on the bailout bill was close, and did not occur along party lines.

But while there were some odd vote combinations, with liberal Congressmen like U.S. Rep. Steve Rothman (D-Fair Lawn) voting the same way as his conservative neighbor, Scott Garrett (R-Wantage), they tended to cite different reasons.

Ultimately, New Jersey Congressmen voted against the bill by a 7-6 margin. None, however, enthusiastically supported it. Nor did any of its detractors express glee at its downfall, and some expressed more openness to voting for a new compromise package than others.

By far the most vociferous opponent of the bailout was Garrett, who yesterday took to the floor and excoriated his colleagues who supported it.

As the House met this morning to vote on the $700 billion bailout package for financial institutions, U.S. Rep. Scott Garrett (R-Wantage) took to the floor to rail against the proposal.

Garrett, who sits on the House Financial Services Committee, gave an impassioned speech this morning on the House floor, casting blame on the Bush Administration, Democratic leadership and The Federal Reserve and accusing them of getting the nation into the mortgage mess in the first place. 

“America, you should be outraged about what Washington is about to do, because Washington is not listening to you.  Whether you’re Republican or Democrat, our offices have been receiving phone calls 10-1, 100-1 against this proposal, but Washington is not listening,” he said. 

White House counsel and former Republican National Committee Chairman Ed Gillespie will come to Bergen County tomorrow to raise money for U.S. Rep. Scott Garrett (R-Wantage).

Garrett Campaign Manager Amanda Gasperino confirmed that Gillespie, who grew up in Burlington County, will host a fundraiser for Garrett in the 5th Congressional District.

“The fundraiser is going to be held in District Five before the end of the election, and the tickets are priced just right,” she said.

According to the Bergen County Republicans' Web site, the event will be a luncheon tomorrow at Seasons Restaurant in Washington Township. Tickets to attend the lunch are $250 per head -- a special VIP reception will run $1,000 per person.

U.S. Rep.Scott Garrett isn’t following John McCain’s example and formally suspending his campaign, but his staff insist that he’s spending most of his time in Washington right now.

”Congressman Garrett is in Washingtonworking diligently to help find a solution to the current economic crisis. He has always put the needs of the district before political campaigning, and this is no exception,” said Garrett Campaign Manager Amanda Gasperino. “Taking leadership on the need for sensible legislation, Garrett has introduced a bipartisan bill to form a Select Committee to investigate the financial bailouts of Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, AIG, and Bear Stearns. Additionally, the Congressman has demanded that President Bush provide transparency in the 700 billion dollar bailout plan to protect the interests of taxpayers."

Dennis Shulman in Denver last month.: Politicker photo 

They say there are about two or three enduring storylines in world literature, and over the last year there have proved to be two or three storylines in New Jersey politics..

In the U.S. Rep. Scott Garrett/Dennis Shulman Fifth Congressional District contest, the Shulman campaign argues that it’s the Ellen Karcher story all over again, with Garrett receiving a $41,000 tax break on a piece of land that yields approximately $700 per year in income.

In a television ad that went up today on Channel 5 in the district, Shulman charges that by enjoying the tax loophole, Garrett proves he is just another "corrupt politician."

The Joe Ferriero indictment has spilled over into the 5th District Congressional race.

Bergen County Republican Chairman Bob Yudin today asked Democrat Dennis Shulman, who’s challenging U.S. Rep. E. Scott Garrett in the Bergen-dominated district, to call on Ferriero – who was indicted last week on eight corruption counts along with former BCDO general counsel Dennis Oury – to permanently resign from his chairmanship.

“If Mr. Shulman is to seriously demonstrate his commitment to the people of the Fifth District and to clean government, why then has he not called for the resignation of a corrupt party boss?” said Yudin. “At a time when Democratic leaders such as Gov. Jon Corzine and Democratic State Chairman Joseph Cryan have already asked for Ferriero to step aside, I question why Mr. Shulman has not followed suit?”

Jeff Van Drew insists he won’t be a late entrant into the second district House race against Republican U.S. Rep. Frank LoBiondo, a district where Democrats think Joe Biden’s presence at the top of the ticket could help a congressional candidate in Cape May, Cumberland, and Salem counties – where some residents watch Delaware TV.