Free Republic

Republicans are running one of the state Legislature's most conservative lawmakers in the scrap to replace the retiring U.S. Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen -- a seat Democrats believe they can grab from the GOP in their national effort to ruin President Donald Trump's midterms. Now Assemblyman Jay Webber's congressional campaign is getting a boost from one of Washington's leading conservative groups. Heritage Action for America, the political arm of the conservative policy group Heritage Foundation, has named him as one of the 12 House Republican candidates it would work to elect this fall. Heritage Action said it would spent $2.5 million...

House Republicans’ spending chief told his colleagues Wednesday that there is no waste in the $1.3 trillion spending bill lawmakers are rushing through Congress this week. “We’ve worked to make sure not a dollar is wasted,” Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen, New Jersey Republican, said as he defended the massive bill before the House Rules Committee, pushing back against bipartisan frustration from lawmakers who said they couldn’t stomach voting on a 2,232-page bill with less than 24 hours’ time to read it. But no less than President Trump disagreed with him, taking to Twitter to say he “had to waste money on...

Long expected to be the frontrunner for U.S. Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen’s (R-11) seat in a vacuum, Assemblyman Jay Webber (R-26) refused in a statement today to tread on Frelinghuysen’s announcement with the revving of his own engines. That statement is here. But two sources with knowledge of the assemblyman’s thinking told InsiderNJ that the Assemblyman will take a hard look at a run this year. “Jay would be nuts not to strongly consider it,” a source said.

WASHINGTON -- U.S. Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen, both the most powerful and endangered member of the New Jersey congressional delegation, announced Monday that he would not seek re-election at the end of his 12th term in the House of Representatives. Frelinghuysen, R-11th Dist., gave no reason for retiring. He joins Rep. Frank LoBiondo, R-2nd Dist., as New Jersey lawmakers retiring at the end of the year. Both were elected in the Republican landslide of 1994.

In New Jersey’s 11th Congressional District, Republican incumbent U.S. Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen has an approval rating of 28%, and 54% disapprove of his job performance. according to a Public Policy Polling Memo. President Donald J. Trump has an approval rating of 40% and a disapproval rating of 56% in Frelinghuysen’s district. Speaker Paul Ryan is also unpopular with 26% of voters saying they approve of the job he is doing and a majority (63%) responding that they disapprove. These percentages, along with a hypothetical matchup between Frelinghuysen (40%) and a “Democratic opponent” (49%), indicate that Frelinghuysen is quite vulnerable in...

The GOP tax reform bill known as the “Tax Cuts and Jobs Act,” came one important step closer to becoming law on Tuesday when the bill passed the House of Representatives by a vote of 227 to 203. No Democrats voted for the bill, of course. The party of big, centralized government isn’t for anyone keep more of their own money, other than perhaps illegal aliens and welfare recipients, and will never vote to cut anybody’s taxes. But not all Republicans voted for the bill either. Here are the 12 Republicans — all from high tax states — who joined...

In homes in Montclair and across North Jersey, residents are breaking bread with Syrian refugees, sharing food and conversation. These dinners, aimed at fostering understanding and communication, are being organized by the Syria Supper Club, a group firmly rooted in the township. NJ 11th For Change, an organization founded by Montclair residents, continues to host protests at the New Jersey offices of Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen, R-11, pressuring him to hold town hall meetings. Houses of worship, residents and some shops in the township have put up signs with the same message — “No matter where you are from, we’re glad...

Efforts to eliminate pork and offset spending from the Hurricane Sandy relief package failed ... ... Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen (R-NJ) offered another amendment that added $33.7 billion ... the Frelinghuysen amendment. According to Patrick Louis Knudsen of the Heritage Foundation: One of the most stunning elements in the amendment is $16 billion for the Community Development Block Grant, a slush fund that states and localities can hand out pretty much anywhere they choose. The amendment contains several pages of language ostensibly aimed at restricting use of the funds, but also says they can be applied to “other eligible events in...

First, a word to Bateman, Biamonte, Luzzi, and the three candidates from New Jersey's District 7: Job well done. Bateman, an eloquent spokesman for conservatism; Biamonte, a woman with the energy of a freight train; Luzzi, a sprinter who won votes, significant votes, after only weeks on the campaign trail....

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A U.S. congressman chased and caught a man who picked the lawmaker's pocket on Thursday night in Washington's tony Georgetown neighborhood, a local television station reported. Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen (news, bio, voting record), a New Jersey Republican, was walking in the area when a group of young men came up behind him. Frelinghuysen felt someone grab at his wallet and when he turned, the would-be robber took off, WRC TV report. Frelinghuysen, 61, gave chase and caught the suspect a short distance away. Two passing police officers saw the chase and arrested the 18-year-old suspect, the report...

WASHINGTON -- A congressman from New Jersey helped police catch a man who may have tried to pick his pocket Thursday night. Police said Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen was walking in the Georgetown section of the city about 9:30 p.m. when he was approached by a group of young men. The congressman told officers he felt someone grab at his wallet. But when he turned, the person started running away. Frelinghuysen said the culprit first asked if he wanted to buy candy before robbing him. Frelinghuysen began chasing the man and was joined by two D.C. police officers who happened to...

“I remain committed to two primary principles in the area of immigration reform: border security first, and no amnesty. Until we get better control of our borders and ensure our nation is safer from terrorists, we will never be able to enforce or strengthen our immigration laws. Border control must be priority number one! The amnesty proposals being put forward in the Senate are a shortcut to citizenship that will increase the flow of illegal immigrants, undercut American workers, bankrupt our health care and Social Security systems, and undermine the efforts of thousands of immigrants who are patiently using legal...

Am surprised that the committee investigating the ports deal didn't ask Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen (R) NJ about the fact that his father Peter is the nephew of H. Edward Bilkey's (the Dubai Ports CEO that testified to the committee investigating the ports deal) mother. Peter's father (the late Senator and Rodney's grandfather) is the nephew of Mr. Bilkey's mother Emily. I think that Rodney came out against the ports deal after this fact was first raised when Mr. Bilkey mentioned that his "father" was a senator in a interview with Wolf Blitzer. Mr. Bilkey in reality is the grandson of...

2006 Congressional Election Cycle Has Begun  50 Republican Incumbents Undeserving of Support by Pro-life Voters   The Republican National Coalition for Life PAC is currently receiving phone calls from Republican candidates for Congress in the 2006 Republican primaries. Our usual practice is to mail our Candidate Questionnaire to Republican candidates in each district as soon as the filing deadlines are reached. When we receive the results of the questionnaire, they are recorded on our website at www.RNCLife.org so that voters can see for themselves it those seeking to represent them in Washington are truly pro-life. We hope that this service...

In case you haven't heard, the Marriage amendment got shot down in the house: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,134134,00.htmlHere's the Republicans voting Nay: Bass Biggert Bono Castle Cox Dreier Foley Frelinghuysen Gerlach Gibbons Gilchrest Greenwood Hobson Hostettler Houghton Johnson (CT) Kirk Knollenberg Kolbe Leach McInnis Ose Paul Pryce (OH) Sanders Shays Simmons Here's the republicans not voting: Boehlert Cannon Diaz-Balart, L. Diaz-Balart, M. Dunn Hunter Nethercutt Ros-Lehtinen Tauzin Be sure to contact these people & show your appreciation. Here's the list of Dems voting FOR: Berry Bishop (GA) Boucher Boyd Carson (OK) Chandler Cooper Costello Cramer Davis (AL) Davis (TN) Edwards Etheridge Ford Gordon...