Lonegan to kick off his second gubernatorial campaign today
By Matt Friedman, PolitickerNJ.com Reporter
Conservative activist Steve Lonegan will formally announce his gubernatorial candidacy this afternoon.
Lonegan, the 52-year-old former mayor of Bogota, will kickoff his 2009 campaign at the Courtyard Marriot in Edison at 1:00pm, according to his Web site.
This will be Lonegan’s second try for his party’s nomination. In 2005, he won eight percent of the vote in the Republican primary, coming in fourth out of seven candidates. But since then he's developed a higher statewide profile, authoring a book and heading the anti-tax group Americans for Prosperity.
Today’s announcement comes on the same day that Chris Christie, a potential rival of Lonegan’s for the Republican nomination and the favorite of the GOP establishment, steps down from his post as U.S. Attorney. Assemblyman Richard Merkt, who like Christie is from Mendham, has already announced that he intends to seek the nomination, while Franklin Township Mayor Brian Levine is also considering a run. Biotech executive John Crowley is said to be mulling a candidacy as well, while Morris County Freeholder John Murphy may run if Christie does not.
Democrats are not expecting any serious challenges to Gov. Corzine for that party’s nomination.
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Lonegan could pull this off
He has been out front on the issues people care about most and on the same side of those issues as the voters.
While touting other
While touting other potential mayor and freeholders as candidates, this article fails to mention that Steve Lonegan was the very SUCCESSFUL Mayor of Bogota until he was term limited.
Cutting spending, turning deficits into surpluses and having OTHER Democrat controlled towns come to him for advice, makes Lonegan not only more then a "Conservative activist", it makes him the FRONT RUNNER for the nomination.
Woopteedo
This is the fifth announcement this month announcing that Lonegan is going to announce his campaign. That guy must sleep with a mirror above his head to satisfy that ridiculous ego he has.
Lonegan
I'm very glad to hear that Mayor Lonegan is finally making it official today. I really look forward to getting started.
"Question with boldness even the existence of God; because if there be one, he must more approve the homage of reason, than that of blindfolded fear."- Thomas Jefferson
two words
BRING iT!
Front Runner?
I thought the Sabrin campaign was over?
Loneganuts
I love how conservatives believe because he somehow appealed to Bogota voters, he would somehow appeal to statewide voters.
Forget it, he's got his fan club and that's it. He won't appeal to many others at all.
Good thing he won't make it out of the Republican Primary.
Lonegan could win
Lonegan is the bes to go up against Christie, that is if Crowley doesn't jump in.
However, Republicans seem to favor Christie, and if the former US Attorney receives county lines, he will win the primary but lose the election cause he will be linked to Bush hardcore.
Just my 2 cents.
Bush
Because Bush somehow will matter to voters in an election about the direction and future of our state. This is a state-focused election, not national and Bush is long gone.
Christie prosecuted and indicted Democrats and Republicans, so the Bush argument is ridiculous.
If Democrats want to play the distraction game and try saying Bush over and over again, that's fine. Maybe Linda Stender can tell them how that worked for her.
Bogota is a Democrat town
Yet Lonegan won re-election twice. It seems like that would contradict the conventional "wisdom" that Lonegan can't win anything but conservative votes. The fact he continued to win in Bogota and kept down spending and taxes - and did all those things that need to be done in Trenton - would seem to me to be an indication he is the best candidate for Republicans to win.
It just may be Lonegan
sitting here in district 40 Lonegan still looks like a long shot. However in 09 as the NJ ecconomy goes down the toilet. Lonegan will own the economic issues during the debate. Unless Christie does a crash course in Economics 101. This Primary will be all about Lonegan and his economic and tax saving plans.
And just
And just as President-Elect Obama was palnningto announce Hillary Clinton as Sec. State. I cant believe Lonegan would try to steal that thunder, now no one will be paying attention to the President-Elect and Sec designee today...what a hack.
If Steve
sticks with the fiscal issues he should do well. The first time that he drags out the social conservative nonsense is the time that many will bail.
GOPers who will vote at the conventions and in the Primary want somebody who will campaign. After the Senate primary race last year, too many will vote for anybody who is not put up by Tom Wilson. Even then there is a limit to their tolerance.
Not being Corzine will not be enough. We need a positive plan and not somebody who only "has a story".
Its the economy again
if Christie only has the corruption issue it will not be good enough. He needs to have a sound economic plan to include curbing spending, cutting taxes and bringing jobs and capital back to NJ. His attitude regarding illegals wont help him when the folks are losing their jobs.
Gubernatorial qualifications
Steve Lonegan has great qualifications to be New Jersey's next Governor. He is right on point and consistently on the record opposing Trenton's bad decisions. I will not "bash," or "snipe" (because that is what many of you call legitimate criticisms of NJ "Republicans"). Here is a simple fact. Mr. Lonegan consistently voices his opposition to bad decisions in Trenton, lets us common folk know what the experts in Trenton are doing, proposes a solution, and then works with the people to act. The Lonegan method is a proven winner. That is the type of leadership I want in the Governor's office.
Laus Deo,
Jesse O. Kurtz
Managing Editor for The Atlantic City Scoop
http://cityofatlantic.wordpress.com
Jesseokurtz@gmail.com
Well, since we just elected
Well, since we just elected an author to be President, why not do the same for NJ Governor? I need to write my memoirs one of these years.
Steve, please go away
Not to be rude but Steve, please go away. We are trying to elect Republicans in a liberal state. We do not need outlandish tax plans, we need commonsense and calm people to show how Trenton is corrupt and Christie is the man to do that!
Who's "we"
The same group of elitist snobs who've screwed up every Republican campaign in this state for years? These are the people who hate Steve Lonegan. And you know why? Because Steve's not part of their little clique, and they don't like that.
They also know that when Steve wins they will all have to learn the value of the free enterprise system and working in the private sector because their careers in politics and government will be over.
These are the people who oppose Lonegan. They would rather be in charge of a team of losers than see the team win without them at the helm. Their quest is about ego and paychecks, not winning elections.
They haven't led. They won't follow. Now the only thing left for them to do is get out of the way. Don't go away mad, just go. There's a new sheriff in town.
Elitist snobs
<
Yeah, just like those elitist snobs Tom Kean and Christie Whitman. Let's see, how many statewide elections did they lose?
How many statewide elections did Looney Lonegan and Maverick Murray win? Those clowns couldn't even make it out of the primary. Don't forget Lonegan also ran unsuccessfully for congressman in 1998 (I got a fundraising letter from Sabrin for that race).
Schundler won the primary in 2001 only because Donnie D. self-destructed, and then McGreevey slaughtered Schundler in the election.
Pretty sorry record for "true believers".
Fact Check Please
Schundler beat your hero Bob Franks, not Donny D.
Lonegan = MAJOR FAIL
All aboard the FAIL-sloop. Captain Lonegan will be on the bridge, spouting his right-wing gibberish. Captain L has to recruit young, inexperienced deckhands because no experienced sailors will crew for him.
Predictions:
(1) Lonegan/Shaftan run a nasty, juvenile primary campaign calling Corzine a "communist" or "socialist", pissing on New Jersey as a place to live, and generally making asses of themselves;
(2) The right-wing nutjobs will put away their Ron Paul paraphernalia for a few seconds and climb about the FAIL-sloop; then
(4) Lonegan pulls a few "Sabrins" and gets some media attention with ill-fated 'spectacles' like betting his campaign on a horse race; while
(3) Lonegan spends most of his campaign money pissing on Christie, and weakening Christie for the general election (with the help of the Paultardz & the Democrooks); and then
(5) Dick Codey easily beats the Republican nominee.
FAIL.
Thanks, Steve & Rick and his j.v. squad of out-of-staters.
Let the LULZ commence.
Lonegan is Best Candidate
Berganrulz, do you think by slandering Lonegan and his supporters, everyone will coronate your beloved (potential) candidate? Give me a break. Stick to the record.
Chris Christie has done a great job stretching federal law to fight some corrupt state and local politicians. Mr. Christie would be a great Attorney General in the Lonegan administration. I hope that you and Mr. Christie do not allow your pride to get in the way of realizing his true talents, i.e. fighting corruption.
Steve Lonegan is a proven master of budgets, wins in heavily Democrat towns, and a fiscal genius. He is very well-versed in NJ's recent and past history. He understands how the next Governor's actions can correct over a decade of economically disastrous policies.
Berganrulz, you ought to promote Mr. Christie's stance on the issues and winning campaigns. Oh wait, his stances are weak (immigration, finances, life, and second amendment) and he has lost every campaign he has run.
Laus Deo,
Jesse O. Kurtz
Managing Editor for The Atlantic City Scoop
http://cityofatlantic.wordpress.com
Jesseokurtz@gmail.com
Go Steve Go!
In a large/aggressive field, you might actually have a chance!
The only shot you have (to win the primary) would be to combine your conservative agenda with an anti-corruption populism; but you aren't likely to do that...as that would require standing up to the corrupt machines politics that infests ALL of NJ politics.
Then again, I want to see you win the primary since you're the most likely to lose big in November. :-)
From Frederick Douglass
Why Steve Lonegan fails it
Because wikipedia and the intertubez exists:
"n October 2007 it was discovered that Lonegan, known for his hard line stance against illegal immigration, had hired two allegedly illegal immigrants to work for him. Critics quickly shouted "hypocrite", but Lonegan maintained that he made every effort to ensure that both men were legal citizens. Both men were subsequently located and when interviewed by Spanish-speaking media, denied that Lonegan made any attempt to ascertain their citizenship."
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Lonegan