'09 results buoy GOP chances for '11 Senate seat pickups
By Wally EdgeElection results in three South Jersey districts offer some hope to Republicans as they look to regain control of the State Senate in 2011, even as local powerhouse Stephen Sweeney moves closer to becoming the next Senate President.
In the Atlantic County-based District 2, freshmen GOP Assemblymen John Amodeo and Vincent Polistina won re-election by more than 10,000 votes, setting up a potentially competitive State Senate race for one of them against Democrat James Whelan in two years. Whelan ousted short-term incumbent James "Sonny" McCullough in 2007. Christopher Christie carried Atlantic County by 2,423 votes, 49%-45%; four years ago, Jon Corzine won it by 6,535, 53%-43%.
In District 4, which includes parts of Camden and Gloucester counties, Republican Domenick DiCicco won an open State Assembly seat. DiCicco immediately becomes the GOP's best hope to unseat Democrat Frederick Madden in the next election. There has been considerable speculation that Madden won't seek a third term in 2011, and that Assemblyman Paul Moriarty will run for the Senate. Christie carried the fourth district.
One of the greatest success stories for legislative Democrats was in District 1, where Nelson Albano and Matthew Milam - the number one Republican targets -- were re-elected by a relatively easy margin. That strengthens the chances of Democratic State Sen. Jeff Van Drew, who ousted GOP incumbent Nicholas Asselta two years ago. But the first district remains Republican-leaning, and Christie carried it easily.
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Forget it.
Do you know how many tops of the ticket have won in Cape May County while the good dentist carried the county down ballot? Try Frank LoBiondo (1994), George W. Bush (2000), Bret Schundler (2001), Doug Forrester (2005) and now Chris Christie (2009).
And yes, he carried the county this year without even being on the ballot.
The lesson of District One
is that no matter how Republican a district is cut, the Democrats can keep it away from this crowd.
new bellweather
Now the Bergen did not side with the winner...the only county that has voted for the winning Governor the past five elections is........... Salem. The only county without representation in the Statehouse if I'm not mistaken? The only county in a Delaware MSA. As Salem goes, so goes NJ.
Better chance
I think there's a better chance for stealing a seat or two from Central Jersey (Middlesex/Union area) with only some slight redistricting.
2011 will be a tough year
Senate Republicans will have to spend a lot in primaries to defend all those incumbents who plan to vote for gay marriage. Then there are the bad votes they will have to take to help the new Governor balance the budget. Taxes anyone?
my kingdom for a chairman
Cape May needs to take downits fuedal lord and break the feifdom before it ever takes back that Senate seat. Von Savage and Van Drew are the reasons District 1 is still the most republican district not to have any republican representation in Trenton. Break Von Savage and watch Van Drew's team collapse.
before 2011...
Can we get a tally on (i'm assuming) Christie's margin of victory in NJ-3? Obama won it by 5 while Adler was squeaking by.
2011 already ?
Don't you think it's a bit premature to start talking about this ? I know a lot of people like to speculate but one first has two years of a Christie administration to get through. I think more is going to depend on that than what happened yesterday .
And as someone else has posted, Christie never outlined how he is going to address the budget and which tough choices he and the Republicans are going to have to make.
Never outlined?
Circumstances and events will set that outline. $8 billion of them.