Scott Rudder

All eighty seats in the New Jersey General Assembly are up next year, with Democrats in strong shape to keep their majority under a legislative map that creates relatively few competitive races.

Republicans feel that they have a good chance to go on the offensive this year, even if taking control of the Assembly, where Democrats have a 48-32 majority, is an unlikely prospect. Assembly Republican Executive Director Rick Wright thinks the gubernatorial candidacy of U.S. Attorney Christopher Christie, one of four Republicans actively exploring a statewide bid, would boost his party’s chances to pick up Assembly seats.

“It all depends on who our gubernatorial candidate is. I know there’s a lot of excitement out there about Chris Christie. If and when he makes his decision, that will help us in our recruiting. We have people out there sitting and saying I want to see what Chris Christie does,” Wright said. “A lot of county chairmen think we have a much better chance of success in gubernatorial and legislative races if Chris Christie is at the top of the ticket.”

   Senator Phil Haines, Assemblywoman Dawn Addiego and Assemblyman Scott Rudder said they are greatly concerned that the new toll hikes pushed through today by Governor Corzine and the Trenton Democrats will hurt the state’s fragile economy and force big trucks on to local roads.

            “In the last few days, people have seen their 401K’s drop to 201K’s. Now we’re going to put a driving tax on them?” asked Assemblyman Scott Rudder, a member of the Assembly Transportation Committee.

Assemblyman Scott Rudder, a member of the Assembly Transportation, Public Works and Independent Authorities Committee, today called on the commissioners of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and the Delaware River Port Authority to end the practice of providing free E-ZPass access to employees and retirees.

Could there be an upset in the making in the Perskie Region, where #1 seed John Adler faces wildcard winner Scott Rudder in Round 1? It's still very, very early in the voting, but Rudder is holding his own against Harvard John.

Get ready to decide who the smartest member of the New Jersey Legislature is – voting starts tomorrow. Watch the Cinderella match as Assemblyman Scott Rudder (R-Burlington) takes on our #1 seed, State Sen. John Adler (D-Camden). In a poll of PolitickerNJ.com readers, Rudder defeated Assemblywoman Cleopatra Tucker (D-Essex) by a 53%-47% margin for the 64th slot.

The PolitickerNJ.com Smartest Legislator Tournament is intended to be a contest of sheer intelligence – an online, interactive contest among readers to determine New Jersey’s most intellectually talented state legislator. This is not about political parties, vote-getting abilities, fundraising prowess, legislative achievements, or personal popularity – it’s a contest to look at the minds of the legislators. Think about their ability to reason, to solve problems, to comprehend complicated ideas, to think abstractly, to articulate their views, and to learn. Consider their personal wisdom, their knowledge, and their ability to deal with cognitive complexity.

Democratic campaign spokesman Jeff Meyer said early intel shows high voter turnout in key Democratic Party towns in the 8th district: Evesham, Moorestown and Pemberton Township.

"That is a very good sign for us," said Meyer in a brief telephone interview from party headquarters in Mount Laurel.

Republican state Senate candidate Phil Haines remains the favorite against Assemblyman Francis Bodine, who switched parties earlier this year to run for the state Senate in district 8.

John Adams sought a standard for the emerging country's legal system when he represented a British soldier no other lawyer would defend. Adams argued that unless the enemy soldier was subject to a fair trial under the law, there was no sense standing up to the British crown.

"When Adams looked back on his career late in life, he said it was the most honorable thing he had ever done," Justin Loughrey, president of the Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers of New Jersey (ACDL-NJ).

Loughrey and others in the New Jersey legal community are invoking the second president of the United States and rising to defend due process against what they see as an attack in the district 8 legislative contest.

Republicans have issued campaign mailers that call into question Democrat Tracy Riley's husband's representation of a man charged in a terror conspiracy plot.

Republicans thought they hit op research gold when they realized that the husband of Democratic Assembly candidate Tracy Riley, running in the suddenly competitive eighth district, was the court-appointed lawyer representing one of the men accused on a plan to kill soldiers at Fort Dix.  In a mailer sent out last week, the three GOP candidates said: "Now, Tracy Riley's Family Law Firm is Defending Him … Tracy Riley: Whose values will she represent in Trenton? Ours? Or theirs?"

The Courier-Post has endorsed Republican Phil Haines for State Senate, and Republican Dawn Addiego and Democrat Tracy Riley for Assembly in the 8th district.  READ