Amy Osborn

Thomas Booth is dropping his bid for Camden County Republican Chairman, leaving Richard DeMichele unopposed in his bid for the post. The current Chair, Gail Peterson, announced earlier this year that she would not seek re-election. DiMichelle, a 38-year-old attorney who is active in the Camden County Bar Association, is relatively new to politics, but has secured the support of Peterson and Amy Osborn, the Republican State Committeewoman. Some Republicans are complaining that a screening committee convened to interview possible candidates turned into a DeMichele coronation -- they say Booth ended his campaign because he didn't want his candidacy to cause further division in a party that has not won a countywide race in nearly fifteen years.

From an WNBC-TV report: "Both campaigns have reached out to reporters with accusations that the other candidate has had an affair, which prompted this question to [Doug] Forrester:"

NBC: "Have you ever cheated on your wife?"
Forrester: "I'm very proud of my marriage. Thirty years of marriage and I expect that I will be married for another 30 years, so I'm very proud of my conduct."
NBC: "But, have you ever?"
Forrester: "I have not, if, if what you're asking is if I have sex with somebody else -- no."

Despite Forrester's denial, New York Daily News gossip columnist Ben Widdicombe reported on rumors that Forrester had a relationship with a former '02 campaign staffer, Amy Osborn. While there is no evidence that Forrester had an affair with Osborn, a former Miss New Jersey, a multitude of sources close to Forrester confirmed earlier this year that Andrea Forrester, the candidate's wife, had insisted that Osborn have no role in the 2005 gubernatorial campaign. "Andrea wasn't the only one that insisted on that," said a senior Forrester staffer. After she was ousted from the Forrester team, Osborn, now the Republican State Committeewoman from Camden County, went to work for another candidate for Governor, Robert Schroeder.

The Corzine campaign told staff this morning to have no on-the-record comment on the Forrester allegations, but to stress to reporters on background what they view as Forrester's record of hypocrisy -- on choice, stem cell research and now extra marital affairs.