Stephen Colbert

The 100th Most Powerful Person in New Jersey politics is political satirist Stephen Colbert, a Montclair resident who hosts the popular Colbert Report on Comedy Central.  In a runoff election to capture the final spot on the prestigious list, which will be released this afternoon, Colbert defeated money manager Todd Christie, the brother of Republican gubernatorial candidate Christopher Christie, by a 36%-33% margin.  Tricia Mueller, a political operative who works for the carpenters union, finished third with 31%. 

PolitickerNJ.com allows our readers to vote for the final spot on the list.  Colbert was the top vote getter in the first round of voting, which featured a field of fifteen candidates.

Left to right: Todd Christie, Stephen Colbert and Tricia Mueller

Vote today to pick the final slot on the PolitickerNJ.com 2009 Power List, a runoff between the top three vote getters from last week's reader choice poll.  Competing for the #100 on our list of the 100 most politically powerful New Jerseyans are: Todd Christie, the brother of Republican gubernatorial candidate Chris Christie; TV personality Stephen Colbert, a Montclair resident who hosts a popular news satire show on Comedy Central; and New Jersey Regional Council of Carpenters political director Tricia Mueller.  Over the last few years, this site has allowed our readers to pick the final slot on this prestigious list.

In a reader poll that began Thursday morning, Christie led Colbert by a 24%-22% margin, with Mueller close behind at 20%.  Twelve other candidates divided the remaining 34%.

CLICK HERE TO VOTE IN THE RUNOFF

In 2008, Atlantic City radio personality Harry Hurley was the Reader's Choice for #100.  In a two-day online poll that attracted nearly 2,900 voters, Hurley defeated Republican State Chairman Tom Wilson by a 35%-15% margin. Public Policy guru Jon Shure finished third with 12%, just narrowly leading Union County Manager George Devanney (12%). None of the other six candidates -- Cape May County GOP Chairman David Von Savage, attorney and Democratic fundraiser Victor Herlinsky, conservative political strategist Rick Shaftan, Burlington County GOP Chairman Mike Warner, and Jersey City political activists Bobby Jackson and Joe Cardwell -- finished in the double digits. Hurley also won a 2007 Reader's Choice poll.

The list, first released in March 2000, is an Insiders List that includes policy makers, party leaders, fundraisers, lobbyists, labor unions, businesses, and associations and have assembled the ultimate list of New Jerseyans with clout, with an impact on politics and government in the Garden State -- everyone but elected officials and Judges.  Stay tuned!

PolitickerNJ.com will release our 2009 Power List of New Jersey's 100 most politically influential personalities on Tuesday, August 4. The list, first released in March 2000, is an Insiders List that includes policy makers, party leaders, fundraisers, lobbyists, labor unions, businesses, and associations and have assembled the ultimate list of New Jerseyans with clout, with an impact on politics and government in the Garden State -- everyone but elected officials and Judges.  Stay tuned!

In 2008, Atlantic City radio personality Harry Hurley was the Reader's Choice for #100.  In a two-day online poll that attracted nearly 2,900 voters, Hurley defeated Republican State Chairman Tom Wilson by a 35%-15% margin. Public Policy guru Jon Shure finished third with 12%, just narrowly leading Union County Manager George Devanney (12%). None of the other six candidates -- Cape May County GOP Chairman David Von Savage, attorney and Democratic fundraiser Victor Herlinsky, conservative political strategist Rick Shaftan, Burlington County GOP Chairman Mike Warner, and Jersey City political activists Bobby Jackson and Joe Cardwell -- finished in the double digits.

Hurley also won a 2007 Reader's Choice poll.

CLICK HERE TO VOTE!

Former U.S. Rep. Bob Barr, the Libertarian candidate for President, will visit New Jersey on Thursday: Getty Images Photo
Libertarian presidential candidate former GOP Georgia Congressman Bob Barr will make a campaign stop this Thursday in Rahway as part of a three day swing through the tri-state area

After media appearances on CNN, The Colbert Report, and The Glen Beck Show, Barr will attend the town hall meeting. The event will be held at 8 p.m., at Luciano's located at 1579 Main Street in Rahway, according to Barr spokesman Lou Jasikoff.

"As part of a coordinated broadcast with similar events throughout the country we will be cutting away for comments from Wayne A. Root in Denver on the Democratic convention, along with other remote locations throughout the United States," said Jasikoff. "This will be an attempt to communicate our message to as many people as possible via the Internet."

BlueJersey.com reports that Congressman Scott Garrett turned down a chance to appear on The Colbert Report's "Better Know A District," -- so instead, Stephen Colbert inverviewed Garrett's Democratic opponent, Rotarian-American Paul Stuart Aronsohn. PHOTO