Former Republican assembly candidate Stepfanie Velez-Gentry made national headlines for her unusual occupation, but she would be willing to put that job aside if offered one by the incoming Chris Christie administration.

“I would absolutely be interested,” she said.  “I want to help make changes in the community, and if something was offered to help make changes I would take it.”

Velez-Gentry, 29, runs Nookie Parties, LCC – a company where traveling salespeople host parties to sell sex toys and other adult novelties – or, as PolitickerNJ.com described it when it was first reported in the Inside Edge, a “naughty Tupper Wear party.”  

Rather than generate controversy, however, Velez-Gentry’s business won her favorable press for her entreupeunerial spirit.  The Associated Press picked up the story, as did the New York Daily News, and it ricocheted to several other media outlets and blogs.  Howard Stern even talked her up on his radio show.  Velez-Gentry said she even got a $50 campaign donation from a woman with a similar business in Utah.

She was later endorsed by the Gloucester County Times, which said that, beyond the “snickering” about her job, she had “much to offer.” 

Donald Norcross was endorsed for State Assembly by the Courier-Post.

The Courier-Post today endorsed South Jersey AFL-CIO President Donald Norcross for State Assembly in the fifth district, saying that Norcross is well versed on state issues and "would be able to hit the ground running in Trenton" even though he'll be a freshman. 

The Courier-Post also endorsed Norcross' running mate, Camden City Council President Angel Fuentes.  The two are seeking to replace Speaker Joseph Roberts (D-Camden) and Assemblywoman Nilsa Cruz-Perez (D-Camden).  Neither are seeking re-election.

But the Gloucester County Times declined to back Norcross, instead supporting Fuentes and Republican Stepfanie Velez-Gentry, who has attracted national attention because she owns a company that sells sex toys to women

Norcross, the Camden County Democratic Co-Chairman and the brother of Democratic leader George Norcross, set a record this month for the single biggest fundraising event for a first-time candidate: he raised a reported $350,000. 

"Norcross has been a union leader, yet he understands that things cannot be the same for future government workers as they have been and are for current ones in terms of pay and benefits. He sees that Trenton can't afford to keep handing out fat pensions and loads of other expensive benefits and remain solvent," the editorial said.  "While Norcross and Fuentes likely won't be as independent from party-line politics as we'd like, in this race, they're clearly the best choices."

Norcross, according to the Courier-Post, would not deny that he'll quickly move up to the Senate after State Sen. Dana Redd (D-Camden) wins her race for Mayor of Camden.

This year's Most Interesting Job for an Assembly Candidate Award goes to District 5 Republican Stepfanie Velez-Gentry, who runs a business specializing in... well, what amounts to naughty Tupper Ware parties.

Velez-Gentry, who's running against South Jersey power broker George Norcross's brother, Donald Norcross, runs Nookie Parties LLC, which organizes "adult romance parties for women & couples." 

Velez-Gentry's company, which she founded in 2007, sells sex toys, lingerie, games and other erotic knickknacks at customers' home parties.  The company's Web site lists dozens of representatives all over the country, and features pictures of Velez-Gentry modeling a couple of her products.

Velez-Gentry said that her company has helped save marriages and that "when the moms and dads are happy, the whole family is happy."  

Assemby Speaker Joseph Roberts (C-Camden), above, is not seeking re-election to the State Assembly. South Jersey Democrats picked labor leader Donald Norcross to replace him.

Southern Jersey AFL-CIO President Donald Norcross, the brother of one of the state's most powerful political insiders, won the Democratic nomination for State Assembly in the fifth district today.  He ran unopposed at a special convention of Camden County Democrats to replace Assembly Speaker Joseph Roberts (D-Camden), who announced last month that he would not seek re-election.

"I believe we must change the way business is done in Trenton," Norcross told Democrats today.  "We must put our partisan differences and the special interests aside to do what is best for the ordinary, hard-working taxpayers of this state. The status quo is not working. The state government is wasting too much of our money."
 
Norcross, the Camden County Democratic Co-Chairman and the brother of George Norcross III, called for a state-government spending freeze and a moratorium on tax increases.

Fifth District Assembly Candidate Stepfanie Velez-Gentry
calls on Joe Roberts to stand up for New Jersey's taxpayers

Joe Roberts is Jon Corzine's chief enabler.

BELLMAWR – Stepfanie Velez-Gentry, a candidate for Assembly in the Fifth Legislative District, called on Assembly Speaker Joe Roberts to stand up for New Jersey's taxpayers.

"The Governor has submitted a budget that hurts the taxpayers of this state and for Joe Roberts to simply call it 'sobering' is ridiculous," Velez-Gentry said. "Taking away property tax rebates from nearly every New Jerseyan is more than 'sobering,' it's a disgrace."

"Joe Roberts is supposed to be a leader," Velez-Gentry continued. "A real leader would stand up against this budget and call on the Governor not to take away the rebates he promised us he would expand."

"Under Jon Corzine the average property tax bill has gone up in virtually every municipality in our district," Velez-Gentry stated. "What is sobering to me is that Joe Roberts is Jon Corzine's chief enabler."

"It is Jon Corzine's high taxes and out-of-control spending that got us to where we are," Velez-Gentry concluded. "Our district and our State deserve better, they deserve members of the General Assembly who will fight against budgets that hurt regular people and they deserve members of the General Assembly who will exercise fiscal restraint, not enable Jon Corzine to spend their money."

Lonegan to Camden County Supporters:
You're On Your Own

Lonegan campaign hangs their
supporters in Camden County out to dry;
Republicans also beat back Democrats' attempt
to disenfranchise qualified voters in 5th District

HADDON HEIGHTS -- The Camden County Republican Committee fought successfully two petition challenges, exposing the truth about Steve Lonegan's campaign in Camden County as well as beating back an attempt by the Trenton Democrats to disenfranchise qualified voters in the 5th Legislative District.

Joseph L. Welsh, a confirmed Lonegan supporter, was removed from the ballot following a petition challenge filed by the Camden County Republican Committee.

After the Lonegan campaign made a desperate, impassioned plea at the end of March to find supporters who were willing to run in order to help Steve Lonegan in his campaign for Governor, Mr. Welsh stepped up to the plate and circulated petitions to run for State Senate in the 6th Legislative District.

But when Mr. Welsh's petitions were challenged due to defective signatures, the Lonegan campaign hung Mr. Welsh out to dry, refusing to provide any counsel, campaign staff, or even a volunteer to assist Mr. Welsh.

This proves once and for all that the Steve Lonegan campaign is about one thing and one thing only: advancing the personal political career of Steve Lonegan. When Lonegan's supporters -- who have donated their time, energy, and money to his campaign -- need help, he turns his back on them and walks away.

At the same time, the Democratic State Committee attempted to have Republican candidates Brian Kluchnick and Stepfanie Velez-Gentry, running for General Assembly in the 5th Legislative District, removed from the ballot.

However, the Trenton Democrats' attempt to disenfranchise qualified voters in the district failed, and the Republican candidates will remain on the ballot for the June primary.

That makes the Camden County Republicans two-for-two in our fight to preserve the democratic process in South Jersey, despite the attempts by Steve Lonegan and the Democrats to compromise it for their own personal political gain.