Posted on 11/18/2004 12:52:17 PM PST by Coleus
DiGaetano sets sights on higher office
Thursday, November 18, 2004 |
State Assemblyman Paul DiGaetano, R-Nutley, formally declared his candidacy Wednesday in the 2005 governor's race.
Standing on the front steps of the Statehouse in Trenton, the legislator said he offers a pragmatic Republican political philosophy that will appeal broadly to New Jersey's voters.
"They want a conservative who can win," DiGaetano said at an afternoon press conference. "That's what's important about my being here today."
The GOP legislator has served in the Assembly since 1992, and was its majority leader for six years.
He represents the 36th Legislative District that includes the city of Passaic, Nutley, and nine southern Bergen County towns. He also served 15 years on the Passaic City Council.
Although DiGaetano signaled his intention to run for governor last year, he said he timed his formal announcement to coincide with passing a fund-raising milestone.
He said that he has raised roughly $300,000 in campaign contributions, which makes him eligible to receive taxpayer-financed matching funds.
Earlier in the day, DiGaetano, 51, made an appearance at St. Anthony's School in Passaic to discuss his candidacy, and he spoke about his childhood, which was spent in the surrounding neighborhood.
DiGaetano said he was undaunted by the prospect of entering an already crowded gubernatorial race in which the Republican primary fight is expected to be bruising.
"I happen to think it's a good thing," he said.
With so many GOP candidates lining up, DiGaetano said, "it shows that there are large groups of people who believe Republicans can win."
He stressed that a more competitive race for the governor's office is a healthy exercise in democracy - a contest determined by voters, instead of "a group of power brokers deciding who the candidates should be."
Other Republicans who are considered to be potential candidates are Bret Schundler, the former Jersey City mayor and failed 2001 gubernatorial candidate, and Christopher J. Christie, U.S. attorney for New Jersey.
Morris County Freeholder John Murphy is also reported to be considering a race.
Another Republican, Doug Forrester, who ran unsuccessfully for the U.S. Senate in 2002, said he intends to formally announce his candidacy this month. Schundler is expected to formally declare his candidacy Monday.
DiGaetano said he recently attend a meeting that included Schundler, a Forrester representative and Murphy to discuss their shared goal of promoting civility in the upcoming battle for the June primary.
Among Democrats, U.S. Sen. Jon Corzine has indicated he is leaning toward running, and acting Governor Codey is considering entering the race.
DiGaetano was not included in a Quinnipiac University poll on the governor's race released Wednesday that shows Corzine would beat other Democratic and Republican candidates if the race were held today.
Those are all the code words I need to hear. Just another liberal RINO.
Anybody who thinks Jesse Helms could get elected above Virginia raise your hand. Hmm Ok now that that is settled anybody who thinks that George Pataki could get elected below Virginia raise YOUR hand. Just what I thought.
Now anybody who thinks Brett has more than a 1 in 10 chance of getting elected governor of New Jersey raise your hand. Boy the group is getting smaller. Finally anyone who would "much rather see a rat elected than a rino" leave the f*&^ing room you're embarrassing yourself.
This guy is one of the very few electable conservatives in the Garden State. All you "rino hunters" think about that when you watch Gov. Corzine get sworn in after you stayed home to prove some foolish point about being conservative over winning election.
BTW he always been supported by the NRA and he is anti abortion save for rape and incest which is in the national platform.
In fact the opposite is true. Democrats don't vote across party lines for candidates that are similar, they vote across party lines for candidates that offer something their party is LACKING, such as prolife and profamily moral direction.
I'll be supporting Doug Forrester.
He stressed that a more competitive race for the governor's office is a healthy exercise in democracy - a contest determined by voters, instead of "a group of power brokers deciding who the candidates should be."
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As opposed to the Democratic machine...
And one more Assembly seat picked up in the anti-Florio landslide goes to the Democrats in the next election.
Maybe Alan Keyes could run.
Yeah...just like they ran across the party lines to support Bill Simon and McClintock in your state. Sorry, I live in a Blue State and sometimes, I am happy to have an R after their names. That being said...there are congressional districts, house/state senate seats that true fiscal conservatives should hold...but sometimes a RINO is better than a D who votes 100% with the enemy.
I wouldn't consider Rossi a RINO. Daniel Evans was definately one, however.
Dan Evans were "RINO" types, but Rossi never would have even gotten this close if a couple of key things had/hadn't occurred:
1. The Democrats have controlled the Governor's Mansion 24 years. During that time, the state of the state has gone progressively downhill.
2. Gary Locke has grown increasely unpopular....Gregriore could easily be tied to the unpopular incumbent.
3. Rossi is a charismatic non-WASP from King County. His base and home town is in "enemy territory" and was able to cut into traditionally Democrat areas.
4. Came from a working-class family. His real life experiences of work/digging himself out of the trenches resonated with a lot of blue-collar union voters that traditionally vote Democrat.
5. Gregriore's multiple mistakes and blunders...both as Attorney General and candidate. She and her campaign took it for granted that this was a Democrat state. Gary Lock cruised to victory by approximately 20%.
6. Huge turnout by "moral" voters. Not enough to stem the tide of anti-Bush sentiment throughout the state, but this added to the margin of victory.
7. Gregriore's personality...abrupt/rude/talking down to everyone. She was her own worse enemy.
8. Rossi's campaign...This campaign was on message, targeted, excellent ads, and great fundraising vs. a weak/tainted opponent.
I still fear that the Democrats will manage to steal the election, but I keep my fingers crossed that we can pull it off in the end. If King County manages to create enough Gregriore voters, Rossi will "lose"...I wonder how many more ballots will be "found" later this week.
A few of your (really good) points apply to a race between a conservative NJ Republican, like Schundler or Forrester (yes, Doug is pretty conservative!), and Dick Codey. Codey would carry a lot of the same handicaps into a statewide race.
On paper Schundler really looks good...very similar to Rossi. He didn't do as well as I would have liked/expected against McGreevey. That was kind of surprising. Forrester did pretty well against the Torch in polling, but when the Ds dug up the fossil, Lautenberg, to "pinch hit" in the last minute, Forrester really didn't pull it up...but he was running against the Torch and his campaign was tooled so much that he was not the Torch...his campaign was really hamstrung (unfairly in my opinion)...but the Rs pulled it in IL this time around and replaced a tainted candidate (Ryan) with one even worse. I think the Rs should have stuck to their candidate or better yet, should have stuck to Peter Fitzergerald instead of turning him to the wolves...although might not have won...he would have done a lot better than importing a carpet-bagging nut from Maryland.
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