If Lonegan wins, will GOP leaders let him pick a new State Chairman?

By Wally Edge | April 27th, 2009 - 2:49pm
| More

By tradition, the winner of the Republican gubernatorial primary gets to pick the new GOP State Chairman.  But some insiders are saying that if Steve Lonegan upsets Christopher Christie on June 2, its possible - if not likely - that the Republican establishment won't cede control of the state party organization to their standard bearer.

The individual elected to lead the Republican State Committee in June will get a six-month term.  Party leaders can decide next January if they want a new State Chairman.  Republican legislative leaders are not likely to let Lonegan control the state party - and appointments to the legislative redistricting commission - unless he is elected Governor.

Anxious to unite the party after his upset victory in 2001, Bret Schundler chose to retain the incumbent, State Sen. Joseph Kyrillos (R-Middletown), who had been picked for the post a few months earlier by Acting Gov. Donald DiFrancesco.  As part of the deal, Kyrillos replaced his new Executive Director, Alan Raymond, with Evan Kozlow, who had been Political Director of the Schundler campaign.  Kyrillos held the seat until he stepped down in 2004, which left the state party apparatus in the hands of the party leadership and not with Schundler supporters.

In 1973, when conservative U.S. Rep. Charles Sandman ousted incumbent Gov. William Cahill in the Republican primary, he picked former Bridgeton Mayor John Spoltore to succeed John Dimon as GOP State Chairman.  Spoltore, who worked on Sandman's congressional staff, was acceptable to GOP leaders because he spent six years as the Cumberland County GOP Chairman. 

Those were more congenial times and more willing to accept defeat. Sandman even replaced popular former Gov. Alfred Driscoll as Finance Chairman without much criticism.

Sandman lost the general election by 721,328 votes, but he was still expected to control of the party because State GOP Chairmen were elected to a four-year term.  But six weeks after the election, the 52-year-old Spoltore died of a heart attack.  In a special election held a month later, all three candidates were part of the so-called establishment that was more concerned about a huge debt than anything else: former GOP State Chairman Webster Todd defeated Monmouth County GOP Chairman Benjamin Danskin, 23-12, with Essex County GOP Chairman Frederic Remington receiving five votes.  Sandman spoke just before the vote, urged party unity, and pledged never again to seek state office.  In 1974, he lost his bid for re-election to Congress.

the NJGOP....

belongs to the winner of the primary. If Christie wins and retains the little Tommy Wilson (who has succeeded in having a ZERO balence for the NJGOP, by the way) I will expect. Because Christie won. If Lonegan wins then the people working in trenton had better start packing their desks on June 3rd. Because like Michael Steele, we are not going to reward total failure by permitting those who could not win to stay in positions within the party so they can destroy the campaign.

This was one of Brett Schundler's most fatal errors after he won in 2001, letting himself be destroyed from within. Unlike liberals, conservatives learn from history and it will NOT be repeated.

What Republican can argue

that a major change is not needed for the NJGOP? Almost every incumbment or party supported Committeeman & Committeewoman should be defeated in June. It is clear that they represent the status quo of repeated failure.

DiMarco

Why are you blaming the local county committee people? Not every one in "office" is to blame. Look how many got snookered out of convention. or didn't vote for CC.

BTW Not all County Committees are up for re-election.

Steve Forbes Must Not Have Noticed Chris Christie’s Economic Lib

In Chris Christie's most recent lame attacks, he alleges that Steve Lonegan's flat tax is somehow an assault on New Jersey taxpayers and job creators. Such an attack suggests that Christie is closer to Obama on matters of tax and spending issues than our original flat-taxing Republican, Steve Forbes.
Steve Lonegan has the common sense conservative chops to get the New Jersey economy moving again. Steve Forbes should reconsider his support for Christie—an economic liberal who rejects Forbes’ core principles of tax fairness and simplification. Mr. Forbes knows well that the answer to Corzine is not Corzine-lite.
The Freedom’s Defense Fund asks New Jersey Republicans to reject class warfare and stand with a tested conservative leader. We urge you to vote for Steve Lonegan on June 2nd.
Todd Zirkle is the Executive Director of the Freedom’s Defense Fund. For more information visit ChristieExposed.com.

Wishful thinking.

Control of the State Committee will be in Lonegan's hands by 9:30 pm on June 2.

"Control of the State

"Control of the State Committee will be in Lonegan's hands by 9:30 pm on June 2."

And Looneygan's hands will be in a straitjacket by 10:00 PM when the nice young men in white coats come to take him away to the Happy Home for retired wingnuts and professional losers.

"Mental" Case

You must either be finally employed or by the way your post reads, you just had an extended stay in rubber room since you know so much about it.
LOL

bitaryo

I am referring the the State Committeemen & women who are all up for election in June not the county committee people that represent their municipal districts.

clifford case said he would

clifford case said he would rather vote for corzine than lonegan. i wonder what party he really is a member of. he seems to be a leftist wingnut.

De Marco

There you go, I was just about to say that you knew something when  you go and make a dumb statement.

 The State and County committee people should ALL go not just the two MORONS that are handpicked by the County Leaders ( I use that term Tongue In Cheek). 

As a former County Committeeman and Municipal Chair they are one in the same, except the two state committee people do as the bosses tell them and the local committee people are just Dumb Ass followers.

 

One thing at a time

County Committee people are not up for election this year.

In Passaic County and others they are.

I didn't realize either. Yet, I did scratch my head a few times when I saw some mention of County Chairs facing election this year in the earlier GOP conventions and screening fights.

Wilson, don't let the door hit you on your way out.

If Lonegan wins? Wilson better start working on his exit speech. Wilson is the epitome of what Lonegan has identified as what is wrong with the NJGOP.

If you had cancer would you go to sensitivity classes? No, you want to get the best doctors to make sure they get every single cancerous cell removed from your body. The RINOs are the cancer that turned NJ Blue, and their influence will not have a place in Lonegan's NJ GOP. County Committee may not be up for election but Lonegan will have the County Chairman when he wins, they will set the course and when they are up for reelection, their loyalty will be noted.

Lonegan is the last hope to redeem the soul of the NJ GOP.

"The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants."   Thomas Jefferson

 

RC

I rarely disagree with you. Yet, it wasn't the "RINOs" or "RIPOs" (Republicans in Party Only - those that registered and never bothered leaving)who screwed the GOP in a state of perpetual minority.

It was a group of amoral, non-ideological, self-preserving politicians who cut a deal against an overwhelming Dem Machine. "Give us some crumbs" and we won't bother you.

Why are certain districts unopposed or given token opposition? The ideological split is a sham to red herring the debate from the real divide in the GOP.

RINO

The problem with the definition of RINO is that you people claim that anyone who supports a woman's right to choose or reasonable restrictions on hand guns is a RINO. Or God forbid you express any type of empathy for someone less fortunate. That would be blasphemy in a Lonegan controlled party.

no RINOS

Actually, many do not use RINO, just liberal.

And I always find it amazing.  Items that are in the US Constitution like the 2nd Amendment liberals want to restirct.  However items that are no where to be found in the US Constitution, like someones desire to kill their baby, that apprently is in there.  Where it might be nobody seems to know, but liberals are best known for maing stuff up so it is expected.

Why not?

Tom Wilson has proven beyond all doubt that he's an imbecile. Regardless of who wins the primary, it's time for Wilson to move on.

Wake-Up Call

Morning News Digest: February 9, 2010

Garden State Equality fires new broadside at Dems Smarting over the state Senate's refusal to pass marriage equality and disillusioned at the moment with the Democratic Party majority, Garden State Equality’s 85-member Board of Directors unanimously decided against giving financial contributions to political parties and their affiliated committees. ...

Wally Edge

A handwritten note left behind during a Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee meeting indicates that Senate Majority Leader Barbara Buono (D-Metuchen) would support a plan to require all current public employees to contribute at least 1.5% of...
As New Jersey braces for another snowstorm, noteworthy is Hamilton Mayor John Bencivengo’s website, where residents can use “Snow Plow Sal” to monitor the movements of snow plows to determine when their street will be plowed.  Hamilton also has...
Just before leaving the Senate Presidency, Richard Codey (D-Roseland) appointed Orange Mayor Eldridge Hawkins to the Congressional Redistricting Commission.  Now his successor, Stephen Sweeney (D-West Deptford) is considering making his own...
Mark Anton, the Chairman of the Suburban Propane Gas Corporation, was a half-term Republican from Essex County who was elected in a 1953 special election after Alfred Clapp, who had mounted an unsuccessful campaign for the GOP gubernatorial election...
Assemblyman Herbert Conaway (D-Delanco) has dropped his bid for Burlington County Democratic Chairman, notifying party leaders by letter this weekend.  That leaves Gary Haman as the leading candidate to replace Alice Furia, who took over last...

Contributors

Everybody needs to start a new job with a list of priorities and Chris Christie is no exception. There might be a thousand things that need to get done... more »
A new Governor and Legislature offer the perfect opportunity to re-think the Trenton status quo and for experienced observers and practitioners to offer their best ideas on improving the... more »
 I grew up in a neighborhood in Newark, New Jersey where gambling was part of every day life.  Many of my relatives gambled.  The guys gambled on games, and... more »
Due to a highly inappropriate breach of etiquette by President Barack Obama in his State of the Union Address, the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision in the Citizens United... more »
When life is bad---natural disasters, families losing homes or jobs, an attack on our country, health crises--people come together and do things that are inspiringly good.  After the... more »
Our new Governor suffers from no lack of advice.  Much of it, contained in the transition reports, deserves prompt attention.  Obviously, economic prosperity benefits everyone, and – as... more »
The agenda has been ambitious.Jobs.  Homeland security.  Iraq.  Afghanistan.  Healthcare.  Energy.  Banking.   Taken together, the Obama Presidency has all the makings of a compelling story -- action, adventure, emotion,... more »
The new regime pushes the only conservative off the Budget Committee.   This is a direct result of pressure from a certain Republican County Chairperson who was hired by Garden... more »
Now that  the dust has finally settled after the grueling campaign for governor, there are a number of lessons that we can draw from this election. First and... more »
A  few years ago, my brother Paul gave me a birthday present of Tim Russert’s book, The Wisdom of Our Fathers. Great book. Read it cover to cover. Or skim... more »
New Jersey's spending and borrowing spree over the past three decades is coming home to roost.  State debt has increased 700% under both Republican and Democratic administrations, and spending... more »
On January 11th New Jersey’s 213th Legislature ended its session, followed the next day by the commencement of the 214th Legislature, with newly elected officials being sworn into office,... more »
On January 6, 2010, several newspapers published articles with titles like “no more aid for struggling cities”, “Christie will cut state aid” and the like; furthermore, in the body... more »
New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, you target teachers. That’s not a positive note to start your tenure. You forget that the Teachers’ Union makes decisions on its own, such... more »