At one point during his 2009 Republican Primary run, movement conservative Bogota Mayor Steve Lonegan confessed to PolitickerNJ.com that he didn’t know why he was bothering to go after the support of county committees obviously pre-arranged to back Lonegan’s rival, Chris Christie.

Lonegan would show up to an event, give a speech, and then hear a gavel drop ordaining Christie – the former U.S. Attorney – as the party nominee for governor.

Seth Grossman

An e-mail from a key supporter of Steven Lonegan, who opted out of competing for organizational endorsements in the race for the Republican nomination for Governor, sends a clear signal that the former Bogota Mayor may be assembling his own slates of candidate for the Legislature, Freeholder and State Committee in the June primary. 

"We must give Steve Lonegan good ballot position even if we fail to get the endorsements at these two conventions.    We can do that by getting other candidates to run for office, and then bracketing their names with Steve's," wrote Seth Grossman, a former Atlantic County Freeholder and Lonegan ally.  "If we don't do this, Chris Christie will have a full slate of candidates below his name, while Steve Lonegan will have no candidates with his name, and his name will be buried with losing candidates with no other bracketed candidates."

Grossman was arrested with Lonegan during a demonstration outside Gov. Jon Corzine's Town Hall meeting last year.  The arrest allowed Lonegan to seize the story of toll hike recommendations from the Governor.

Grossman says that he has already found Freeholder candidates in Atlantic and Cape May counties, and State Committee candidates in Atlantic, Camden, Cumberland, and Gloucester County. 

The full e-mail: