Charles Rangel

State Sen. Leonard Lance (R-Hunterdon): Politicker file photo 

It’s Rangel versus Bush in the 7th Congressional District, where apparently voters will ultimately have to decide which of these two is the more toxic campaign sugar daddy.

Roll Call reports that Freedom’s Watch, a hard-right group founded in part by former Bush spokesman Ari Fleischer, has purchased $500,000 in ad time for 7th District Republican candidate state Sen. Leonard Lance (R-Hunterdon).

That makes the money they’re dumping into New Jersey’s 7th District, Freedom Watch’s largest expenditure for any single race, according to the Washington D.C.-based newspaper.

Struggling to raise money after a tough primary, Lance turned to President George W. Bush this week for a private fundraiser in Colts Neck. Lance wants to gain traction in his fight with big money candidate Assemblywoman Linda Stender (D-Fanwood).

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The Chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) seems confident that Democrats will pick up two House seats in New Jersey this year, but stopped short of promising financial help to Dennis Shulman, a blind Rabbi who is challenging Rep. Scott Garrett in the 5th district.

"The closer we got to Election Day the more opportunities developed. Sometimes as you get closer some fall off the list. The last time we went through this in 2006, the closer we got to voting day the more competitive," said Rep. Christopher Van Hollen (D-Md.) in a conference call with reporters today.

The DCCC's third priority in New Jersey is Shulman, who has raised a lot of money for a challenger in a long-shot district, and whose unique personal story has recently drawn national media attention from publications like Time, Newsweek and The New Yorker.

"The short answer is that we're very impressed with what they've done and we see that campaign on an upward trajectory," he said. Read More >

Assemblywoman Linda Stender (D-Fanwood) 

Republican State Committee Chairman Tom Wilson today joined the GOP chorus demanding that Assemblywoman Linda Stender (D-Fanwood) return contributions from U.S. Rep. Charlie Rangel (D-Harlem) following publication of a New York Times story this week detailing sweetheart deals the congressman received on four Harlem apartments.

"Linda Stender has filled her campaign coffers with over $20,000 in contributions from Charlie Rangel and plans to accept even more as a recipient of his annual birthday fund-raiser at New York’s swank Tavern on the Green restaurant scheduled for August 6th," Wilson said.

"Stender likes to tell everyone how she's not a typical politician and that she will stand up to Washington corruption but unless she returns the $21,000 from Rangel and his political action committee that's fueling her campaign and remove her name for his up coming fund-raiser, she just proves that she is another typical double-talking politician that's incapable of changing Washington," added the GOP chairman.

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House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Charles Rangel is sponsoring a meet and greet on Wednesday evening in Washington for seven Democratic congressional candidates from across the nation, including John Adler. 

Adler, a State Senator from Camden County, is challenging twelve-term incumbent James Saxton in the 3rd district.

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