Guy Gregg

Absorbing some former backers of Fred Thompson and at least one defector from the camp of Rudy Giuliani, Sen. Joseph Kyrillos, state chairman of Mitt Romney’s presidential campaign, today assembled an official, updated team of Romney backers at a breakfast in Parsippany.

Following the post South Carolina departure of Sen. Fred Thompson from the presidential race, former Assemblyman Guy Gregg, state director of the Thompson campaign in New Jersey, announced today he would throw his support behind Mitt Romney.

"We need a businessman and someone with a fresher perspective outside of Washington," said Gregg, who will recommend to others in the Thompson camp that they back Romney.

It hurts. It hurts to go through it and it hurts to sit there and look at it when it goes down.

But there they were in Trenton, the lately vanquished making an effort in that stately chamber to appear at the office as usual.

Come New Year they’d be out the door.

There was Assemblyman Sal Vega, beaten by Assemblyman Brian Stack at the polls, sitting next to none other than Stack, who mostly stayed occupied on a cell-phone in the lead up Monday’s session.

"I was here working last Thursday, right after the election," said Vega

Assemblyman Guy Gregg, who lost Tuesday night in his State Senate bid, said he stayed away from this morning’s Sussex County GOP unity breakfast because the 24th legislative district includes three counties, and any appeal to unity should include tri-party representation.

Admittedly disappointed, angry and shocked, he also didn’t want to remount the stage and be forced to emote publicly so soon after a bitter loss.

"I gave my concession speech Tuesday and I didn’t feel compelled to give it again," said the 13-year Assemblyman from Morris County.

Republican State Senate nominee Steve Oroho welcomes GOP State Chairman Tom Wilson to Sussex County.

Defeated district 24 Senate candidate, Assemblyman Guy Gregg, was listed among the critically wounded Friday, unable to make reveille at the Sussex County Republican Party Unity Breakfast in the Lafayette House.

But there was his conqueror, Steve Oroho, serving coffee, making weight jokes and finally urging his party to put the campaign battle in perspective as he choked up while reading a letter from his kid brother, who’s a Black Hawk Helicopter pilot stationed in Kirkuk, Iraq.

Sussex County Freeholder Steve Oroho, a candidate for the GOP State Senate nomination in the 24th district
Long stretches go by in this northwestern district where there are no colorful campaign signs, only acts of nature and traces of people in the form of pickup trucks, narrow roads, fenced-in fields, and, in the distance, new luxury homes.

Whatever invasive species may upset the old order of these 31 towns and the land in-between that comprise the 24th district, the majority Republicans here hold fast to four principles that in the right hands are pure political wampum: 2nd Amendment rights, pro-life values, private property rights and low taxes.

They have a name for themselves.

"Mountain men," says Assemblyman Guy Gregg, eyes twinkling with mischievous delight in the region’s mythology, elusive to anyone who hasn’t seen how swiftly the shadows of cloud cover change the hills here.

Gregg's in a far rightward leaning fight to represent the 24th in the state Senate with Sussex County Freeholder Steve Oroho.

Republican Senate Primary - Distrtict 24

STEVE OROHO
Raised: $ 266,480
Spent: $ 62,812
Cash-on-Hand: $ 213,667

GUY GREGG
Raised: $ 218,336
Spent: $ 83,875
Cash-on-Hand: $ 134,661

Republican Assembly Primary - District 26

ALEX DECROCE
Raised: $ 363,922
Spent: $ 226,536
Cash-on-Hand: $ 137,386

LARRY CASHA
Raised: $ 250,798
Spent: $ 179,873
Cash-on-Hand: $ 70,925

JAY WEBBER
Raised: $ 93,422
Spent: $ 44,494
Cash-on-Hand: $ 48,927

Democratic Senate Primary - District 28

RONALD RICE
Raised: $ 273,252
Spent: $ 281,381
Cash-on-Hand: $ 32,830

BILAL BEASLEY
Raised: $ 99,400
Spent: $ 29,156
Cash-on-Hand: $ 67,243

Democratic Senate Primary - District 31

SANDRA CUNNINGHAM
Raised: $ 69,605
Spent: $ 47,797
Cash-on-Hand: $ 21,807

LOUIS MANZO
Not available

Democratic Senate Primary - District 33

BRIAN STACK
Raised: $ 81,426
Spent: $ 67,825
Cash-on-Hand: $ 13,600

SAL VEGA
Not available

Republican Senate Primary - District 40

KEVIN O'TOOLE
Raised: $ 185,463
Spent: $ 88,649
Cash-on-Hand: $ 96,713

TODD CALIGUIRE
Raised: $ 46,407
Spent: $ 14,255
Cash-on-Hand: $ 31,925

Source: New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission

The Private Enterprise Political Action Committee endorsed four Republican candidates for next month’s primaries.

Steve Oroho has challenged Guy Gregg to six debates as they compete for the Republican State Senate nomination in the 24th district. 

Nine Republican State Senators have endorsed Guy Gregg for the GOP State Senate nomination in the 24th district. Gregg faces Steve Oroho, a Sussex County Freeholder, for the seat Robert Littell is giving up at the end of the year. Littell is strongly supporting Oroho as his successor.

Endorsing Gregg: Nicholas Asselta, Anthony Bucco, Leonard Connors, Peter Inverso, Walter Kavanaugh, Tom Kean, Jr., Joseph Kyrillos, Sonny McCullough, and Bob Singer.