Analysts surprised by Garrett's margin of victory [pro-gun, pro-life candidate wins BIG in NJ]

Daily Record (Morris County, NJ) ^ | 11/08/02 | Steve Strunsky, Associated Press

[shhrubbery!]

BERGENFIELD - Scott Garrett, a conservative Republican, twice lost bitter primary bids to unseat moderate Rep. Marge Roukema before she decided to retire.

So, what did Garrett's strong win Tuesday over a Democrat who styled herself as Rouke ma's heir reflect? Some analysts thought that the race might be close. Rouke ma did not endorse either can didate, but rather told voters to base their choice on the issues. As it turned out, Garrett, 43, of Wantage, received 116,280 votes on Tuesday, or 60 percent of those cast. Anne Sumers, 45, of Paramus, received 74,204 votes, or 38 percent. Indepen dent candidate Michael J. Cino got the remaining 2 percent.

[shhrubbery!]

Good riddance to Marge Roukema, one of NJ's preeminent RINOs. Thank God we aren't getting her clone, The insufferably smug 'Dr.' Ann Sumers (she insisted on being called 'Dr.'). Welcome, Constitutionalist Scott Garrett!

[Mike Fieschko]

Late in the campaign, someone (Garrett? NRCC?) ran radio ads saying that Dr Sumers wasn't a medicare participating doctor. She doesn't take Medicare assignment. So seniors had to pay her and then file for (partial) refunds. Clever.

[shhrubbery!]

I think that was a Garrett ad. Not an ad that appealed to conservatives, but probably very effective.

It did show Sumers's hypocrisy -- she's an M.D. who plumps the usual liberal line of promising benefits to senior citizens, yet who, in her own practice, does the opposite.

But Sumers's infamous ad linking Garrett to the sniper backfired! Haha!

[fatboy]

The new Congressman was supported by the association of new jersey rifle and pistol clubs and the NRA, and other sportsman groups with an interest in the second amendment. what fun!

[Cicero]

Even the Dems realize that gun-grabbing is a vote loser.

But it's also true that few Republicans have lost elections because they are pro-life, while quite a few big tenters and country clubbers have lost in recent years--including Bob Dole--because they are pro-abort.

Being pro-life is ONLY a disadvantage because it makes the media masters foam at the mouth, spin, lie, and cover up the candidate's actual positions, as they did with Simon. If a pro-lifer manages to get past the media, and if he is not mean-sounding about it (which relatively few pro-lifers are) then it's not a disadvantage at all, contrary to what the Dems and the media want you to think.

[Alberta's Child]

Rebovich suggested that the lopsidedness of Tuesday's vote may have had to do with Garrett's name recognition and battle-tested organization after three congressional primaries.

I would also suggest that the lopsidedness of Tuesday's vote was a result of those idiotic last-minute ads that Sumers ran, in which her 13 year-old son complained about all the "mean things" the Garrett campaign was saying about her. That had to be one of the most bizarre campaign ads I've ever heard.

[shhrubbery!]

her 13 year-old son complained about all the "mean things" the Garrett campaign was saying about her

Yeah, I heard that one about 50 times.

One of the 'mean things' the Garrett campaign said about Ann Sumers was that she wasn't sure she wanted to continue living in this country. But that was a verbatim quote of Sumers.

It's not 'mean' if it's true.

[u-89]

I was robbed! They redistricted here and I missed being able to vote for Garrett by a few hundered feet. The greatest joys of my life were voting against Roukema in the primaries every two years.

[shhrubbery!]

I live close to Garrett's district too, but no cigar. My district's been stuck with RINO Rodney Frelinghuysen as long as I can remember.

Ol' Rodney had to dither around a long time before deciding whether to vote for impeachment. He's 'pro-choice' too. He and Marge were probably great friends.

[OldFriend]

Thankfully I got rid of Rush Holt and got Ferguson.....a pro life candidate.......yyyyyyyaaaaaaayyyyyyyy!! softly gloating!!!

[u-89]

While I did not get the priviledge to vote for Garrett this time I used to vote for him in the primaries when he ran against Marge. I am so glad he won as it just sticks it to Margie that her old nemesis won and the fact that he won big makes it all the more delicious.

[shhrubbery!]

I heard some vicious anti-Ferguson radio ads -- the usual Dim rubbish. Ominous voice intones : "Mike Ferguson wants to force twelve year old victims of incest to be pregnant!!! Mike Ferguson wants more guns on the street!!!" Glad to know he won anyway.

Holt's a creep. Remember those ads he ran against Mike Pappas, a decent man and a good rep.

[OldFriend]

I used to call Holt's office on a regular basis....and annoy the life out of them. Demanding they stop sending me mail, complaining about his votes, etc. I was so happy to get Ferguson instead of Holt.

I loved Mike Pappas but when he got up on the floor of the congress and sang Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, he was doomed....lol

[fieldmarshaldj]

I don't know if any of you knew that Holt's daddy was a Senator from West Virginia (elected at the age of 29) back in 1930 as a Democrat. Apparently the Dems didn't care for his voting record, and bounced him after one term. Later on, he switched to the GOP and was in the midst of a political comeback when he died in his 50s (when Rush, Jr. was a little kid). Ole pop would be horrified to see his kid serving as a Democrat, let alone the most left-wing Dem from NJ (along with Donnie Payneinthea$$). We know now that the voters in the 12th are racist for failing to elect the better-qualified Black Republican Buster Soaries, too (of course the media won't mention that -- only if Holt were a Republican and Soaries a Dem would they have).

[shhrubbery!]

Thanks for the info. I'd never heard any of it, including that Soaries is black.

Am not surprised though that those elitist Dems from Princeton rejected a good black candidate. Scratch a highly educated leftist, you'll find a racist.

[Coleus]

He's running for reelection now, are you involved with his campaign?