Steve Rothman

It’s not exactly a surprise, but the incumbent Congressmen in safe districts who have statewide aspirations tend to have the largest war chests.

Take, for instance, U.S. Rep. Frank Pallone (D-Long Branch).  His Republican opponent, former Judge Robert McLeod, didn’t even raise the $5,000 that would require him to fill out a report with the Federal Election Commission.  But Pallone is raising and spending money anyway, raking in $302,139 last quarter for a total of $2.18 million this election cycle.  He has $3.36 million on hand – the largest war chest in Congress – and spent $304,000 this quarter.

That money is not being spent against McLeod.  The expenditures listed in the FEC report includes a $189,015 cable television ad buy.  The commercial, which began on Tuesday, is playing all over the state north of Interstate 195, in places well beyond Pallone’s district.

PATERSON - Since North Ward Democratic leader Steve Adubato brought New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson to the Flamboyan on the weekend after the Democratic National Convention, major Latino leaders have to this point hardly shown overwhelming enthusiasm in their endorsement of Sen. Barack Obama (D-Il.).

Hillary Clinton beat Obama in the Democratic Primary by almost ten percent or roughly the equivalent of the Latino vote, which is heavily Democratic in New Jersey and which was energized for Feb. 5th by Sen. Robert Menendez (D-Hoboken), Adubato and U.S. Rep. Albio Sires (D-West New York).

Now heading for the general election in three weeks and mindful - but not fearful - of that primary falloff in Latino numbers for Obama, party leaders held a Spanish and Spanglish-heavy rally here today, in a city that's over 50 percent Latino, in a county where Latinos number 44,849, or well over a fifth of all registered voters in Passaic.

Former New York City Mayor Ed Koch will campaign for Barack Obama in Paramus this weekend: Getty Images Photo
Obama supporter U.S. Rep. Steve Rothman (D-Fair Lawn) plans to welcome former Mayor of New York City Ed Koch, and former U.S. Ambassador to Israel Dan Kurtzer to Paramus on Sunday evening to participate in a town hall forum. Rothman will lead a discussion about why he believes his presidential candidate, Sen. Barack Obama (D-Il.) is the right choice for President. The congressman said he and the two other speakers, all prominent supporters of Israel and of Obama, will discuss how an Obama presidency would also improve Israel's security.

Gov. Jon Corzine continues to struggle to win the approval of New Jersey voters
Voters' feelings on Gov. Jon Corzine remain tepid, although they've slightly improved, according to a Fairleigh Dickinson University PublicMind poll released this morning.

Corzine’s approval rating stands at 45%, while 39% of respondents disapprove of the way he’s handled his job. 17% are unsure or mixed. 40% of voters have a favorable opinion of the Governor, while 43% are unfavorable.

Only 23% of voters think the state is heading in the right direction – the same number that FDU found last month.

After voting against the $700 billion bailout package earlier in the week, U.S. Rep. Steve Rothman repeated what he described as his good conscience "nay" vote this afternoon.

"First, I won’t be steamrolled into spending hundreds of billions of dollars of taxpayer money on an approach that will not solve the economic problems we face," Rothman said in a statement. "A vote against this bill is not a vote for inaction. I am prepared to stay in Washington as long as it takes, knowing that infinitely better solutions are right at hand and can be implemented immediately to properly address liquidity, home mortgage failures and the urgent need for a sizable economic stimulus package."

Having passed Wednesday evening in the Senate with the support of both U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez (D-Hoboken) and Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-Cliffside Park), the revamped bailout bill moved back to the House today, where it also passed by a vote of he measure passed, 263-171.

With the House likely to vote on the revised bailout package tomorrow, six of the seven New Jersey congressmen who voted against it on Monday have either not decided or not indicated how they will vote tomorrow. 

Only Scott Garrett (R-Wantage) has given any inkling as to how he’ll vote.  On Fox News this morning, he said that the bill has barely changed.

“Basically we’re getting the exact same bill with some pork added to it to sweeten things up.  And that doesn’t make matters better. It really makes matters worse,” he said. 

The New Jersey delegation's vote on the bailout bill was close, and did not occur along party lines.

But while there were some odd vote combinations, with liberal Congressmen like U.S. Rep. Steve Rothman (D-Fair Lawn) voting the same way as his conservative neighbor, Scott Garrett (R-Wantage), they tended to cite different reasons.

Ultimately, New Jersey Congressmen voted against the bill by a 7-6 margin. None, however, enthusiastically supported it. Nor did any of its detractors express glee at its downfall, and some expressed more openness to voting for a new compromise package than others.

By far the most vociferous opponent of the bailout was Garrett, who yesterday took to the floor and excoriated his colleagues who supported it.

Bergen County Democratic Vice Chair Kay Nest, who’s filling in while indicted Chairman Joe Ferriero takes a leave of absence, said tonight that the party will not make any decision on its permanent leadership until after the November 4th election. 

That decision was the product of a  discordant meeting of the Bergen County Executive Committee members that took place this morning. 

“The Executive Committee of the Bergen County Democratic Organization met today regarding the future of the party.  Though there were clearly differing opinions on a variety of topics, all in attendance agreed to move forward as one united party.  A unanimous vote was taken, and all in attendance agreed to postpone any discussion regarding the change in leadership and focus on electing Democrats in the upcoming November election.  I am humbled by the confidence the Executive Committee has shown in me, and I will not let them down,” said Nest in a prepared statement. “I have no doubt, that a united Democratic Party will be successful in November, from the bottom to the top of the ticket.”

After a raucous meeting that insiders present said seemed more like a family gathering after a tragedy than a typical political meeting, the Bergen County Democratic Organization’s Executive Committee agreed not to ask Chairman Joe Ferriero to resign – at least not until after the November election.

Tensions and emotions were high as Ferriero loyalists and critics argued it out over the fate of their Chairman, who’s been indicted on eight corruption counts. Old scabs were reopened and expletives flew unhindered among the roughly 30 members present.

Ferriero is currently on a temporary leave of absence while Vice Chair Kay Nest has been elevated to become Acting Chairwoman for the time being.

With potential candidates already angling for the job of Bergen County Democratic Chairman, U.S. Rep. Steve Rothman (D-Englewood) said that there’s no need to elect a new chairman until after the November election.

“Many of us feel that there’s no need to rush to choose a new chairman. We are in the process of finding out the true condition of the party and its finances,” said Rothman, who emphasized that indicted Chairman Joe Ferriero hasn’t even resigned yet.  “And then examining what legal requirements exist with regard to new elections for chairman.” 

Indeed, Democratic Bergenites acknowledge that the party is facing significant debt – a feeling that in recent years has been much more familiar to their Republican counterparts.