CD2 ACTION: Glackin Not Running, Richter Comes With Dollars

David Richter

Well, I thought I was going to be blogging about two Brians in CD2, “New Brian” and “Old Brian” with the “New” being older than the “Old.” It’s not going to happen. I spoke with Brian “New Brian” Glackin this morning and he will not be running in CD2 due to work commitments.

I’ve had a few conversations with Glackin and I like the guy. Frankly, I think he could have been a formidable candidate. He did say he’s going to stay involved and help where he can.

Announced Republican candidate in CD2, David Richter, has opened his wallet. Admittedly, I wasn’t kind to Richter when I first learned he was considering a run, but after meeting him several times he’s growing on me. He’s a likeable guy. On the downside Richter still hasn’t come on the radio show, but I blame his consultant (and Bob for endorsing Brian Fitzherbert) more than I do the candidate. Anyway, according to the great Matt Friedman at Politico:

Democratic U.S. Rep. Jeff Van Drew may be doing all he can not to alienate his relatively pro-Trump district, but the Republican race to replace him is intensifying.

Yesterday, Republican challenger David Richter disclosed a $413,000 fundraising haul, though almost three-quarters of it came from a self-loan.

Richter — a former HIll International CEO who just moved to the district from Princeton on Saturday — is emphasizing that money is important in this race. His main rival in the primary, Brian Fitzherbert has earned a lot of local endorsements, including an appearance at his event by former U.S. Rep. Frank LoBiondo. But as of June 30, Fitzherbert had only raised about $17,000 (his campaign did not respond to a phone call seeking more recent numbers).

$413,000 is a lot of cabbage and having $300,000 of your own to throw in to make that number isn’t a bad thing. Good for Richter. Spend it wisely. One activist tried to make the argument that he only raised $113,000 and that Brian Fitzherbert was in a better position. I pointed out that Richter’s $113,000 is nearly 10 times what Fitzherbert raised in his first quarter and that’s without the local name ID of Fitzherbert, meaning Old Brian better get to work.

The part of the story that really jumped out at me is that Brian Fitzherbert’s campaign “did not respond to a phone call seeking more recent numbers.” It’s unlike Fitzherbert to be quiet. His campaign has been announcing endorsements at a rate of about once a week.

So, at least for now, it appears the GOP primary in CD2 is shaping up to be Fitzherbert’s ability to organize versus Richter’s ability to fund his campaign, and we all know, in politics money can buy love and catapults your campaign to frontrunner status.

All this seems to leave the third announced Republican in this race, Bob Patterson, as the odd man out. Most people who meet Patterson seem to like him. He’s a smart guy, one activist recently told me he’s an academic. Maybe, but Patterson’s thoughts on “semen-exposed” women is likely enough to keep him from doing anything except maybe playing the role of spoiler. Let’s see who he hurts.

Note: While Bob has endorsed Brian Fitzherbert for next year’s CD2 primary, Steve is completely neutral and making no endorsement

It’s Election Season – Time For Committee People To Do Their Jobs

It’s that time of year…Election Season!

Vote-by-Mail ballots are out and being sent back, candidates are (or should be) knocking on doors, mailers are landing in mailboxes and committee people should be getting folks to vote.

I cannot understand why anyone would put their name on the June ballot to be an elected county committee member and then do nothing. Being a committee person is more than simply showing up at the annual county party convention to vote on which primary election candidate is awarded the line. And, in those counties that have selection committees then some committee persons do even less.

As a committee person you are the party’s representative in your neighborhood. You should be making certain that every registered Republican knows, at the very least, who the Republican municipal candidates are.

Talk to your neighbors. It’s easy! Just last night, after dinner, walking my dog I stopped at my neighbor’s house on the corner. Mostly I stopped to tell him his “No Warehouse” sign was freaking stupid. While explaining how dumb fighting against a warehouse that will provide hundreds of thousands of dollars of local property tax with hardly any use of local services I noticed his unopened Vote-by-Mail ballot sitting on the coffee table. I immediately switched gears and chatted about the local election. He opened the ballot, asked who I was supporting, then filled it out. Boom! Easy votes.

After that, the neighbor, my dog and I walked to his next door neighbor’s house. Boom! More easy votes.

Long story short, in a little over an hour, my neighbor, my dog and I walked around the neighborhood and secured eight mail-in votes for Republicans, even though the majority of the voters were registered Democrats. Fortunately, we had a common enemy – Governor Phil Murphy.

It’s not hard to be a committee person. Republicans win when we do our jobs! Go get us some votes!

Progressives Still Refuse To Admit Their Role In Supporting South Jersey’s Political Machine Which Makes Them Hypocrites

While I enjoy watching Democrats in South Jersey beat each other up I still cannot understand how the “Progressive” faction doesn’t seem to understand they are part of the problem. It really drives me crazy that there are some Republicans who insist we need to work with the “Progressives” this cycle “because they hate Norcross.”

First, let’s get rid of the “they hate Norcross” part of the argument. If you are a Republican and insist on working with the “Progressives” do NOT talk to me. It won’t work, it hasn’t worked in the past (just ask Gloucester Twp Republicans) and they are not your friends. They are Democrats who will vote for Democrats. Period. They proved it last year when Republicans came out in support of Camden residents being able to elect their school board. Machine Democrats were against it. The referendum was successful and Camden residents can now elect their school board. Did the “Progressives” support those who stood with them? Obviously not given the way the election turned out.

And then, last week, the New Jersey Working Families State Director, Sue Altman, came out complaining about South Jersey’s political machine. She went so far as to complain the Norcrosses made a move “reminiscent of a mafia-style shakedown.”

To be clear, I do not take issue with Altman, or any “Progressives” fighting with the machine Democrats. I do take issue with the fact that the “Progressives” and their allies have supported the machine’s candidates every single November and refuse to admit to their role in creating the problem. True, they have run primaries against the machine, but come November they are ALWAYS there for the machine.

I’ve written in this blog before: The “Progressive” Democrats are not our friends. Do NOT be fooled. Let’s look at some examples:

• Camden County moves to take over Camden City police. Camden residents oppose. Camco Republicans come out strong against the union busting tactic. Election day they vote Democrat.

• A law allowing Cooper Hospital to take over paramedic (and BLS ambulance) service in Camden City is rammed through the legislature. Camden residents (and many others) oppose. Camco Republicans lead the charge against the new law. Election day, Camden votes Democrat.

• Camden residents support a ballot question enabling residents to elect the school board. Political machine opposes. Camden County Republicans come out strong in support of residents. Residents win the ballot question and still vote straight Democrat.

And that’s not all! Remember when a Haddon Township Commissioner, who happens to be a Democrat, drove his car into the back of another, left the scene, called the police chief and tried to blame his wife for the accident. Republicans called on him to resign. “Progressives” said nothing.

How about the Democrat who won a school board election in Gloucester Township who once wore blackface. Again, “Progressives” said nothing, but if he were a Republican you can bet they’d be screaming.

And the “Progressives” have yet to say a word about former Assemblyman Arthur Barclay still holding a county job. You can bet if a Republican who confessed to a reporter that he punched his girlfriend in the face had a county job the “Progressives” would be calling for that Republican’s dismissal. Barclay is a Democrat so they say nothing.

I can’t figure out why there are Republicans, some who have been around for a long time, who believe we should be working with the “Progressives” this cycle. That thinking has got to stop. They aren’t our friends and never will be.

Bottom line: It doesn’t matter the label, “Working Families” or “Progressive” Democrats at the end of the day, because of their continued support of the machine in November and the machine’s candidates even when they do wrong, are nothing more than hypocrites.