November 7, 2007 - 3:37pm
Asselta for Assembly?
By Wally EdgeIn his concession speech, State Senator Nicholas Asselta said that he would be back. People who know him aren’t surprised by such a pledge; Asselta, his friends say, will be miserable when he’s out of office. Don’t be surprised to see Asselta run for his old Assembly seat in 2009, when Jeff Van Drew isn’t on the ballot – he’d be a fairly formidable candidate against newly-elected Democrat Matthew Milam. Asselta could position himself for a Senate comeback if Van Drew falters – or moves on.
He wouldn’t be the first politician to be forced to be happy with a consolation prize.
Back in 1973, legislative redistricting put freshman Democratic State Senator William Bate in a district with another Democratic Senator, Joseph Hirkala. Bate ran for the Assembly, won, and remained there for eight years – until mapmakers again drew him a new district. But his Senate comeback was unsuccessful – he lost to Republican Joseph Bubba – so he took a second consolation prize: Passaic County Surrogate. He was elected in 1982 and 1987, lost in 1992, and won again in 1997, 2002 and again yesterday.
Kevin O’Toole went to the State Senate in 2001 to fill an unexpired term, but redistricting eliminated his seat. His consolation prize was a return to the State Assembly, where he waited six years for Henry McNamara to retire. He’s headed back to the Senate.
And sometimes the consolation prize thing doesn’t work out.
Look at Frank McDermott, who served in the Senate from 1967 to 1973 (he was Senate President in 1969 and ran for Governor that year), when he lost in the Watergate year. He returned to the Assembly in 1975, and then ran for Senate in 1977 and lost. Joseph Azzolina was elected to the Senate in 1971, lost his bid for re-election in 1973 and his comeback bid in 1977. He went back to the State Assembly in 1985, lost a campaign for State Senator in 1987, and returned to the Assembly for a third tenure in 1991.
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Gag Me
Asselta should stay out of the way and let the SJ GOP rebuild.
Democrats now control the
Democrats now control the South Jersey shore.
Expect a sharp real estate collapse on your beach house.
Gibson lost twice...
...why not Asselta, too?
Just read the Daily Journal piece...
...and here's some advice to Asselta and anyone else who wants to learn from what just happened to you on Tuesday night:
You can whine all you want about money. But you're fooling no one but yourselves.
The simple fact of the matter is that Nick matched Jeff piece for piece in the mail. He was up on Philadelphia television, spewing his racist filth. He may have been outspent, but it was not by the dramatic margin that he claims. It may never fully come out in the campaign reports, but he ran pretty close in the money race.
The simple fact of the matter is that this was the same size lead that Jeff has had since the beginning of the race. It didn't swell because of the money, it didn't shrink because of Nick's campaign. Jeff is a popular guy because he works his hardest for people who recognize that. If the Cumberland GOP want to blame Jeff's big margin for the big coattails in the Assembly and Freeholder races, then blame the seeds that both Jeff and Nick sewed for years before this race.
Give the people of the district some frigging credit, for God's sake. Stop insulting them by saying they didn't come to this decision on their own.
Change Parties
Asselta should have become a Democrat years ago. The Republican Party in the 1st District never helped him, he always had to do it alone. LoBiondo backstabbed him by not fully supporting him this time and also by not honoring his Term Limit promise.
It is probably too late for him to make the switch but what does he have to lose anymore.
He is young enough to learn from his mistakes and make the switch. It is never too late to start again. But he will never have a future as a Republican.