March 21, 2008 - 9:53am
Some excitement for Unanue among GOP
By Wally Edge
Tags: U.S. Senate, Frank Lautenberg, Murray Sabrin, Ron Paul, Christopher Bateman, Joe Pennacchio, Joseph Pennacchio, Anne Estabrook, Joseph Buckalew, James Plousis, manifesto, Andy Unanue
The buzz among Republican insiders over the last two days is that party leaders seem genuinely excited by the prospects of millionaire businessman Andy Unanue entering the race for United States Senator. The former Chief Operating Officer of Goya Foods, one of the largest Hispanic-owned businesses in the United States, makes an interesting candidate: a self-funder who his 44 years younger than the incumbent and can compete for Latino votes.
A group of Republicans have been seeking another Senate candidate – preferably one who can raise money – since Anne Evans Estabrook dropped out following a minor stroke earlier this month. That movement, which saw candidates like State Sen. Christopher Bateman, former New Jersey Highway Authority Chairman Joseph Buckalew and former U.S. Marshal James Plousis mull and decline. The search for a new candidate accelerated earlier this week after former Ron Paul New Jersey campaign director Murray Sabrin won the Gloucester County GOP convention and then releases a 94-page nationalist manifesto authored by State Sen. Joseph Pennacchio seventeen years ago.
Pennacchio has the organization lines in Bergen, Passaic, Union, and Hunterdon counties, and the endorsement of GOP County Chairmen in open primary Morris and Warren counties. Sabrin has won only Gloucester. Organization endorsements are still up for grabs in Atlantic, Burlington, Camden, Cape May, Cumberland, Essex, Hudson, Mercer, Middlesex, Monmouth, Ocean, Salem, and Somerset counties; Sussex County does not have a line.
Footnote: if Unanue were to unseat Frank Lautenberg in November, New Jersey would become the first state in the nation with two Hispanic U.S. Senators.
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July 4, 2008
"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed."
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- Jul 4 2008
In the News
Read the expanded Wake Up Call, our summary of today’s news media coverage.
Today’s Must Reads:
Bob Torricelli is Mad at the Big, 'Mean' Bergen Record― THE MEDIA MOB
Sweeney-Buono alliance shakes up N.J. Senate― JONATHAN TAMARI
Stile: Pay to play helped to quell party insurgents ― CHARLES STILE
Newark’s Mayor Cory Booker at Midpoint ― DICK BENFIELD
MUCHAS MARGARITAS― ANDY UNANUE
NJ Economic Growth chief leaves office― Gary Rose
Candidates spend plenty of their money― Philadelphia Inquirer
News anchor sizing up run for governor― Star-Ledger
Political parties get right down to business― Daily Record
Ex-city official should give all of it back― Star-Ledger
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Unanue = Unknown
This is laughable. What about asking Lautenberg to run on both Dem and Rep tickets so the NJ Republicans can finally have a statewide win?
Unknown = Possible
When a candidate is unknown, people say he's not viable unless he has money.
If he has money, they say he's an empty suit with a checkbook, regardless of his qualifications or ideas.
If he's not Caucasian, they say he's only being suggested because he's not a middle-aged white guy. If he is a middle-aged white guy, people assume they already know what he thinks.
Can we please wait to hear what the guy has to say before writing him off? I don't want Lautenberg or Pennacchio or Sabrin (or Estabrook), so I'm willing to listen.
And if he disagrfees with
And if he disagrfees with the NJ right to life, he is a RINO. And we wonder why the GP can not win.
Here's my 2 cents
Making my favorite Goya Frijoles Negros (Black Bean) soup, does not qualify him for anything, especially since he inherited the business.
If Andy Unaue had any business sense, he would have left New Jersey. Business Success in New Jersey just gurarantees a bullseye on your bottom line.
"Every citizen should be a soldier. This was the case with the Greeks and Romans, and must be that of every free state." - Thomas Jefferson
Goya - OBoya
The Unanue family has been in constant conflict and litigation since the 1970s over the old man's money. I am sure that one or more faction of the family will undermine his campaign.
Do we have yet another candidates?
It's Friday, and Mr. Unanue has not declared his candidacy yet. The filing deadline is on April 7th. I just do not think that anybody serious about running for the US Senate would be undecided five minutes before midnight. Don't you think so?
No I Don't Think So
I would rather have a good candidate who enters late, then to be forced to vote for a mediocre candidate because there are no other options.
"Hallooo"
"My name ees Andy Unanue. I eat tacos and burritos."
"Taco-Taco. Burrito-Burreeeto. Taco-Taco. Burrito-Burreeeto."
(Oh, like you weren't thinking it.)
Unreal
What a bigot scumbag you are TwentyBears. Eric's right. As soon as someone can tell me how Murray or Joe are going to "fight back" when Lautenberg drops $5 million on TV talking about Murray's history of support for legalizing drugs and prostitution or Joe's idea to inter the homeless. I hate that money is a factor, but that's reality it is. No matter how good your ideas are, if you don't have the $ to tell people it's pointless. Sabrin and Pennachio are both fundamentally flawed candidates (good guys I'm sure, just fundamentally flawed candidates). We need another horse. Don't know about this Unanue guy, but we should be open to hearing about it. It's about time we had a different face on the party...young, hispanic, business guy. I hope he runs.
And I hope TwentyBears gets hit by a truck today.
TwentyBears
You disgust me.
Questions for Andy Unanue
Conservatives with Attitude! ask Andy Unanue 10 Questions:
http://www.gopusanj.com/wordpress/?p=1604
Unanue, who is he?
Dear Eric, how do you know that Mr. Unanue is a good candidate? What do you know about his political view points, his political philosophy, and his social agenda?
I will be honest here, I do not know anything about him. I have not heard anything about him. Should I trust him? I think that a lesson learned from the Estabrook disaster is: do not trust such candidates. Don't you agree?
He Will Be Back
Wiel,
Eric will be back after he finds out from NJ GOP Leadership what the answer to your question is. It's not in the latest talking points bulletin..