Scott Rumana

There is no identifiable winner in the Passaic County Republican war between County Chairman Scott Rumana and two of his predecessors, Peter Murphy and Michael Mecca - although there will be one soon as individual contests for County Committee seats are certified.  Republicans expect Rumana to face a challenger when the county GOP organization meets to elect a leader next week.

When Joseph Caruso, a Republican activist and fundraiser, was mulling running for state Assembly in District 40 late last year, he expressed complete confidence about his electoral prospects.

"I can make one commitment: I would win. I won't lose," he told PolitickerNJ.com in November.

Six months later, and after taking on small businessman Anthony Rottino as a running mate, Caruso gives off even more confidence.

"I'm even more [confident] today than I was," he said, after seeing "peoples' comments when you knock on their doors, when you call them.  It's not just like ‘I'm going to vote for you' - they actually engage in the issues.  The amount of emails and texts of people supporting me - it's overwhelming."

Caruso and Rottino are challenging freshman Assemblyman Scott Rumana (R-Wayne) and ten-term incumbent David Russo (R-Ridgewood) in a race that, to Caruso's frustration, is seen as deeply entwined with a power struggle for control of the Passaic County Regular Republican Organization (PCRRO), which Rumana chairs.

Assemblyman Gary Chiusano (R-Franklin) is upset about a flyer from the Passaic County Republican splinter group GOP Strong that he says took a quote of his wildly out of context.

At issue is a flyer that accuses Assemblymen Scott Rumana (R-Wayne) and Dave Russo (R-Ridgewood) of refusing "to support a bill to prevent sex offenders from having their criminal records expunged."

The campaign piece includes a quote from Chiusano, a conservative, saying "to vote against this bill means you are allowing the expungement of sex crimes."

Rumana abstained from voting on the bill.  Russo voted no.  But Chiusano also voted no.

Chiusano said that the bill was actually in two parts: one that cut down the amount of time it took for certain types convicted criminals to have their records expunged, which he opposed, and one that excluded terrorists and child abusers from the new law.

Assemblyman Dave Russo (R-Ridgewood), who’s running for reelection along with Scott Rumana (R-Wayne) in the 40th District, said that his fate is tied to gubernatorial candidate Chris Christie. 

“I just hope there’s some turnout, because we’re on the line with Christie.  If Christie does well, I hope we do well,” said Russo, who expressed concern that some rain this morning and scattered thunderstorms this afternoon might dampen turnout. 

Russo was not campaigning this morning.  He was headed to court to represent a client, and planned to spend this afternoon at his law office.  He said his campaign did put together a get out the vote effort, sending some young people out to knock on doors and hand out literature.

Worth watching on Tuesday: Democratic mayoral primaris in Edison, Englewood, Morristown,  Atlantic City, Plainfield, Camden and East Orange, and Republican intra-party fights in Bergen, Gloucester and Passaic counties.

At a Ridgewood restaurant yesterday, Bergen County GOP Chairman Bob Yudin stood up and addressed a crowd fiercely mobilized behind one of two warring Republican slates in the 40th District.

A Superior Court Judge has ordered Assemblyman Scott Rumana (R-Wayne) to temporarily stop issuing campaign pieces and robocalls that refer to opponent Anthony Rottino’s development business.

Just Thomas Brogran has restricted Rumana from “dissipating  further mailers, publications, robo calls, direct calls or engaging in any discussion with respect to Plaintiff (Rottino’s) Development Company, the false  statements regarding Taxpayer Backed Bonds and false statements regarding  the building of low income housing,” according to a press release issued by the Rottino campaign.

The vicious Republican primary fight in District 40 just turned even nastier.  

Assembly primary challenger Anthony Rottino is suing incumbent Assemblyman Scott Rumana (R-Wayne) for $350,000 over a mailer and magazine advertisement that he said made false accusations about his development company building low income housing. 

The suit charges that Rumana’s campaign piece falsely claimed that a company Rottino has a stake in, P.C. Development, used $16.5 million in taxpayer-funded bonds to develop low-income housing in Newark and East Orange.  That, according to Rottino’s attorney, Matthew DiBrino , is a “blatant lie,” as was a photo of a building purporting to be one that Rottino developed. 

According to the court filing, the ad reads: “While Rottino profited from building low income housing, Scott Rumana fought against it.”

The Council on Affordable Housing (COAH) has been one of the top issues in the primary fight – a race that mirrors a struggle for control of the Passaic County Republican Party between Rumana and allies of one of his predecessors, Peter Murphy.  Caruso and Rottino have maintained that their campaign has nothing to do with the power struggle, however.

Very little money is is being spent in Republican legislative primaries this year, according to reports filed on May 5 with the Election Law Enforcement Commission.

In terms of cash, the most competitive primary is in District 40, where incumbent Assemblymen Scott Rumana (R-Wayne) and Dave Russo (R-Ridgewood) face businessmen Joseph Caruso and Anthony Rottino.

Including funds left over from their previous campaign balances, Rumana has raised a total of $189,200 and has $78,888 on hand, while Russo has raised $181,375 and has $39,925 on hand.  Their joint account raised a total of $99,428 and has $13,254 in cash.

That puts the incumbents at a significant but not overwhelming fundraising advantage over Caruso and Rottino, who did not have previous campaign balances to draw from but wound up out-raising Rumana and Russo during the last fundraising cycle.  Caruso raised $64,550 and has $37,175 on hand, while Rottino raised $42,825 and has $32,715 on hand.  The joint account for the challengers raised $28,843 and has $5,341 on hand.

In the three man 25th District contest, the two non-incumbents are by far the bigger fundraisers.  Tony Bucco, Jr., whose father occupies that district's state Senate seat, raised a total of $58,550 and has the most cash with $27,086.  Morris County Freeholder Cabana raised $55,344 in total, but does not have the most cash on hand of any candidate, with $17,300 left over.  The lone incumbent in the race, Michael Patrick Carroll (R-Morris Township), has the least money. He raised $20,119 - most of which came from left over funds -- and has $5,214 in cash.

The lone incumbent in the race, Michael Patrick Carroll (R-Morris Township), has the least money. He raised $20,119 - most of which came from left over funds -- and has $5,214 in cash.

Republican Assembly candidates Anthony Rottino and Joseph Caruso have come up with a novel campaign pledge.

Rottino and Caruso say that, if elected, they’ll introduce legislation that would stop paying legislative salaries until New Jersey’s tax burden is significantly reduced and the state has lower taxes than at least half of other states.  

“People are losing their jobs, companies are folding or moving out of New Jersey and yet the legislators in Trenton still get paid,” said Rottino in a press release. “In the business world, if you had a track record like the state legislature does, you would be fired.”

The two are running against Republican incumbents Scott Rumana (R-Wayne) and Dave Russo (R-Ridgewood) in the District 40 GOP primary.  Whoever wins the primary will likely breeze through the general election in the heavily Republican district.