O'Toole and Bramnick won't run

Having already been through mulling mode last year and concludedAssemblyman Jon Bramnick they wouldn’t run for the U.S. Senate in 2008, State Sen. Kevin O’Toole (R-Essex) and Assemblyman Jon Bramnick (R-Union) both said today they would not likely change their decisions.

O’Toole flatly rejected the idea of his own run at this time, but said he would be happy if his colleague and friend, Sen. Bill Baroni (R-Morris), entered the U.S. Senate race.

"It’s family," O’Toole gave as the reason for his own decision not to run. "It’s the same reason I gave the national folks. I want to watch my ten and eight year olds grow up."

Baroni said during his campaign for the State Senate last year that he would not be a candidate in 2008, and said today that "Joe Pennacchio is a close personal friend and ally."

Bramnick, who had eyed the possibility of running last year before opting out, said this morning, "I haven’t considered running and I haven’t received any calls. How do you come out now? It’s very hard to come in late, and I respect Sen. Joe Pennacchio for getting in there early and running the race he has."

The assemblyman said he would support Pennacchio over economics Prof. Murray Sabrin.

O’Toole acknowledged that most elected officials would probably defer to Pennacchio, who weathered the blows early and sometimes alone. The senator said a late entry from the business world would be more likely, and specifically said businessman Joseph Plumeri would have some appeal.

However, O’Toole also made it clear that if two of New Jersey’s GOP stars already in the political firmament - in his mind U.S. Attorney Chris Christie and Baroni - decided to run, the game would change.

"Yes, Murray and Joe have been out on the hustings, so to speak, but you’d see a different dynamic if Chris or Bill Baroni came out of the blue," said O’Toole, a close ally of Baroni’s.

"I would love to see him in," O’Toole said of Baroni. "He broadens the tent for the Republicans, he has the Washington connections, and there are no issues national or international that you would have to brief him on."