Duncan Hunter

Republican presidential candidate John McCain will file a slate of delegate candidates today that represents huge representation from supporters of his vanquished rivals – there are more Rudy Giuliani supporters on the ticket than early McCain backers, and the list includes some Mitt Romney backers.  None of Mike Huckabee’s state campaign leaders are running as McCain delegates, and retiring Rep. Jim Saxton, who backed Duncan Hunter, was not offered a delegate slot.

There was a fairly fierce internal battle over delegates in District 12, where State Senator Jennifer Beck and former Senate President John Bennett -- both originally Giuliani supporters – were both in competition for one Monmouth County slot.  Adam Puharic, the Monmouth GOP Chairman, picked Bennett, designating Beck for an alternate slot.

The McCain delegates:

Lisa Ostella, state director of the U.S. Rep. Duncan Hunter campaign, says it was her fault that Hunter didn't get on the ballot.

After a poor showing in Nevada, the California congressman announced he would be discontinuing his presidential campaign, according to CNN.

Four presidential candidates did not file for the February 5 New Jersey presidential primary: Democrats Christopher Dodd and Mike Gravel, and Republicans Tom Tancredo and Duncan Hunter.  Dodd is a five-term U.S. Senator from Connecticut, and Hunter, a San Diego Republican who once chaired the House Armed Services Committee, has the support of retiring GOP Congressman Jim Saxton.

I was glad (and mildly surprised) to see that the last question at last night's Republican debate was about the role of centrists in the party.  I was disappointed that only three of the ten candidates were able to answer the question.  I was further dismayed by Congressman Duncan Hunter who scoffed at the question and categorically rejected the bipartisan approach to policy-making advocated by Governor Schwarzenegger.

GOP presidential candidate Duncan Hunter will have at least one supporter in New Jersey: his friend, Jim Saxton, a thirteen-term Congressman who serves on the House Armed Services Committee with Hunter. Saxton has led GOP leaders in Burlington and Ocean counties know of his support for Hunter, but understands that they will not follow him in supporting the long-shot bid of the Congressman from San Diego.