Steve Rothman

Vincent Micco, a 34-year-old Army veteran who served in Iraq, will formally announce today that he will seek the Republican nomination for Congress against Steven Rothman in the ninth district. Micco, a banker and the father of four, served in Iraq in 2003 and 2003. Rothman, a five-term Democrat, supports a rapid withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq.

The Bergen County Republican Organization has endorsed Micco, and advisors to a rival slate headed by County Executive candidate Kathleen Donovan say that they have no plans to recruit candidates to run for Congress in either the fifth or ninth districts. A spokesman for the Micco campaign says the veteran hopes to have the support of both factions.

When his U.S. Army reserve unit was called up for active military service in 2003, Micco left his wife and children, his job, and his post as Bergen County Young Republican Chairman to serve in Iraq. But when Micco returned to civilian life after a year of service in a combat zone, he found himself in a far less significant war: for the Bergen YR chairmanship. It seems that some of the Young Republicans who assumed control during Micco's absence aren't eager to allow him to return to his post. The controversy centered around Walter "Jim" Dering, the 38-year-old Executive Director of the Bergen YR's, who said that Micco can't simply assume control of the organization because he returned home after the "constitutionally-mandated" YR election.

Population estimates for 2005, released his week by the U.S. Census Bureau, show that New Jersey's growth has slowed down considerably, and experts say that rising property taxes and housing costs is a signal that the state may not far well in five years when the next official count is taken. That could be bad news for New Jersey's congressional delegation: changes in the state's population in relation to faster growing areas of the nation, could mean a loss of one of the thirteen congressional seats in the 2012 election.

The loss of a congressional seat could create a myraid of redistricting scenarios to capture the imagination of political junkies: primaries between Frank LoBiondo and Jim Saxton or Bill Pascrell and Steve Rothman; or even a general election matchup between Rush Holt and Chris Smith or Frank Pallone and Mike Ferguson. Only two seats are probably immune to the loss of a seat: the Voting Rights Act would likely protect Donald Payne and the winner of the open thirteen district seat, which is expected to go to a Hispanic.

The State Constitution requires congressional districts to be drawn by a bi-partisan panel, with the Senate President and Minority Leader, the Assembly Speaker and Minority Leader, and the two state party chairmen eaching naming two members. Whomever Governor Jon Corzine appoints as Chief Justice of the New Jersey Supreme Court this year will name the tie-breaking member of the congressional redistricting commission. Democrats could potentially seek a constitutional amendment that would return the role of drawing congressional districts to the Legislature (as it was until 1995), but one legislative leader says there has been no discussion of such a proposal.

New Jersey lost a House seat after the 1980 census and another ten years later. In 1982, mapmakers eliminated the seat of Millicent Fenwick, who was running for the U.S. Senate, and in 1992, Democratic Congressmen Bernard Dwyer and Pallone were placed in the same district; Dwyer retired instead of taking on Pallone.

Congressman Steven Rothman is engaged to Jennifer Beckenstein, whom he met on J-Date. Rothman's personal ad on the internet dating site became a news story in The Record and one of the topics Comedy Central's Stephen Colbert discussed with him in a recent interview.

Governor-elect Jon Corzine is the special guest at a fundraiser for Hillary Rodham Clinton's re-election campaign in East Brunswick tonight. Tickets are "$420 and up." Assembly Speaker Albio Sires is headlining a fundraiser for Englewood Mayor Michael Wildes' federal campaign account tonight. Tickets are $150 per person, and there is a $1,000 per person VIP reception. Wildes has raised over $400,000 for a future congressional race, if incumbent Steve Rothman decides to run for another office. Wildes' main competitor for the 9th district seat is State Senator Paul Sarlo, although Assemblywoman-elect Valerie Vainieri Huttle could also emerge as a House candidate.

The Bergen County Democratic Organization is unofficially backing Englewood Mayor Michael Wildes in his bid for Loretta Weinberg's Assembly seat against Freeholder Valerie Vainieri Huttle. Until a few hours ago, Wildes has been a fervant foe of County Chairman Joseph Ferriero.

One Democrat not likely to be pleased with Ferriero's blessing of Wildes' candidacy is State Senator Paul Sarlo. If Congressman Steven Rothman runs for U.S. Senate in 2008, both Sarlo and Wildes want his House seat. A legislative seat will allow Wildes to expand his geographic base.

The Winner of the James Carville Rapid Response Award is the New Jersey Republican State Committee, who declared Doug Forrester the winner of the first gubernatorial debate at 2:16 PM EST today, a mere 17 hours and 16 minutes after the debate ended. The winner of the New Jersey Katherine Harris Award is Congressman Steven Rothman, whose perhaps should never have agreed to running the Special Election Convention for State Senate in the 37th district last week.