Tom Blakely

Sen. Joseph Kyrillos(R-Monmouth) considers his 12-15 year professional relationship and friendship with the late political operative.

Tom Blakely's widow celebrates him on the day of the Republican political consultant's funeral.

PRINCETON - Larry Weitzner, CEO of Jamestown Associates, reflects on his friend, Tom Blakely, who was president of the political consulting firm.

PRINCETON - John Wilson, art director at Jamestown Associates political consulting firm, was with Tom Blakely on the day he died.

PRINCETON - Republican political operative Chris Meekins, campaign manager for Andy Harris, says he learned more in Harris' congressional campaign in Maryland under Tom Blakely's direction than in all of his other political campaigns combined.

PRINCETON - GOP pollster Adam Geller worked with Tom Blakely in the 1990s, and said what distinguished him as an operative was Blakely's ability to center himself outside of politics.

PRINCETON - Republican insider Brian Nelson of Shrewsbury remembers Blakely as that caming force in the midst of a campaign.

PRINCETON - Richard Kanka of Hamilton, father of the late Megan Kanka, depended on Tom Blakely up to the end. 

PRINCETON - Fellow Republican operative Dean Armandroff says Tom Blakely could summon fear as a political weapon.

The pair first met in 1989 when Blakely worked as a field director for Jim Courter's gubernatorial campaign.

PRINCETON - Scott Carlbon, who worked with Tom Blakely on Dick Zimmer's congressional campaign, recalls how Blakely, an ex-Marine, broke campaigns down in terms of ground wars and air wars.

He saw politics as battles without bloodshed.