Desperate Dems Eye Trojan Horse To Trip GOP

Following an investigative report in yesterday's and today’s Courier-Post that raise serious questions about the candidacy of mystery third-party candidate Peter DeStefano, the campaign of Republican congressional challenger Jon Runyan (NJ-3) charged that DeStefano is a fraudulent, Trojan Horse candidate who ended up on the ballot with significant help from Democrat operatives close to Congressman John Adler and politically active Democrat lawyers in Burlington and Ocean counties in a cynical, underhanded attempt to hijack the tea party movement and split the conservative vote in November.
“We always knew that career politician John Adler would literally say or do anything to salvage his career in Congress and keep feeding at the trough,” said Runyan General Consultant Chris Russell. “But for Adler associates to get caught propping up a fraudulent third-party candidate in an underhanded attempt to hijack the tea party movement and split the Republican vote takes the cake. The fact that the Adler campaign and leading Democrats refused to talk to the Courier Post about the evidence linking them to Peter DeStefano, and DeStefano himself cancelled all interviews, tells you all you need to know. This is nothing more than political dirty tricks, and it’s going to backfire on them in a big way.”

The Courier Post story can be found here:

http://www.courierpostonline.com/article/20100719/NEWS01/7190324/Tea-partyer-steeped-in-mystery

The Runyan campaign disclosed the following links between Congressman Adler, South Jersey Democrats and fraudulent, so-called “NJ Tea Party” candidate DeStefano:

• According to the Courier Post story, not a single Tea Party group in the district – or in New Jersey – had ever heard of DeStefano prior to his inclusion on an internal poll released by the Adler campaign last week showing him at 12% – a poll that numerous experts in the Courier Post story called completely unreliable.

“We said from Day 1 that the poll was bogus and not worth the paper it was printed on – and now independent experts have confirmed that,” said Russell. “It appears that this bogus poll was nothing more than a vehicle created by the Adler campaign to promote the candidacy of Peter DeStefano and give him a talking point for the press. Based on the initial feedback in the Courier Post article, it looks like the Adler campaign seriously underestimated the intelligence of local tea party activists, who aren’t fooled one bit by this charade.”

• Marshall Spevak, a paid professional political operative, with close ties to Congressman Adler, the Camden County Democratic Organization and Adler’s pollster, Greenberg Quinlan Rosner, signed DeStefano’s nominating petition, as did other members of his family. The Spevak’s have contributed thousands to Adler’s campaigns for Congress.

“Marshall Spevak’s claim in the Courier Post, that he signed DeStefano’s petition because he was mad at Congressman Adler is preposterous,” said Russell, who pointed out that Spevak only recently deleted his facebook links to Adler and his LinkedIn profile detailing his many connections to Adler and South Jersey Dems, and that his family has close ties to Adler personally.

• The Notaries who signed off on Mr. DeStefano’s petitions both appear to be politically active Democrats in Burlington and Ocean counties, respectively. Leonard Niedermayer contributed to Jon Corzine’s re-election campaign and is a perfect Democrat voter, while his facebook page contains numerous references bashing House Republicans. He certainly doesn’t sound much like someone with an active interest in or affinity for Tea Party candidates for Congress. The other lawyer was Harold Hensel of Toms River. Also a Democrat, he has contributed campaign funds locally to Democrats in Lakewood.

“Based on their backgrounds, I don’t see any other logical reason for two politically active Democrat lawyers from opposite ends of the district to help an unknown, self-proclaimed tea party candidate secure a position on the November ballot unless they were intentionally trying to aid Congressman Adler’s campaign,” said Russell, pointing out that notarizing a few petitions isn’t profitable legal work and is largely done by attorneys with a personal and political connection to the candidate.

• DeStefano’s own credibility also must be questioned based on the multitude of false information he gave to PolitickerNJ.com during an interview last week – at the same time he was cancelling interviews with the Courier Post. First, DeStefano’s claim that he tried to gain entry into the debate between Runyan and Adler was flatly refuted in the Courier Post story. Debate producers claim never to have heard of him.

Second, DeStefano also described himself as a lifelong Republican who then switched to Unaffiliated out of frustration with both parties. That claim is also false, and leaves out a very curious fact that raises even more questions about Mr. DeStefano’s political leanings and motivations for running. According to official records from the Burlington County Superintendent of Elections, DeStefano registered as a Republican in Burlington County on September 28, 2000. Then, on April 6, 2010, he officially switched his registration to Democrat.
A Democrat for less than two months, he then switched his registration to Unaffiliated on June 3, 2010. Shortly thereafter, on June 8, 2010, he filed as a candidate for Congress under the “NJ Tea Party” banner. Meaning, it was likely that DeStefano was gathering petition signatures to run as a tea party candidate while registered as a Democrat.
“If Mr. DeStefano hated Nancy Pelosi and John Adler so much, then why did he change his registration from Republican to Democrat earlier this year? That makes absolutely no sense at all,” said Russell. “No wonder Mr. DeStefano cancelled his interview with the Courier Post at the last possible moment – he didn’t have enough prep time with Team Adler to keep all his ridiculous stories straight!”

Click on these links to see documents supporting the above charges:

http://runyanforcongress.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/DeStefano1.pdf
http://runyanforcongress.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/DeStefano2.pdf

Poll: Christie Leads Corzine

From Politicker NJ:

“Former U.S. Attorney Chris Christie maintains his lead against Gov. Corzine in an FDU PublicMind poll released this morning.

Christie leads Corzine in a head-to-head general election match up by nine points, 42% to 33% -- almost the exact same margin of an FDU poll released a month ago.

The Governor’s approval rating is at 40%, while 49% of respondents disapproving, while his favorability rating is even lower. Thirty-three percent have a favorable opinion and 56% have an unfavorable opinion. Christie’s name recognition now stands at 62% -- 5% more than a month ago – and he is viewed favorably by 31% and unfavorably by 12%.

Republican respondents preferred Christie over Lonegan in the primary by 22 points – 43% to 21%... Assemblyman Rick Merkt (R-Mendham) each get 2%.

Corzine’s support among Democrats is soft. Just 58% back him, while Christie is supported by 78% of Republicans.”

Schundler Boosts Christie Effort

From Politicker NJ via ChristieForNJ.com:

Bret Schundler's endorsement of Christopher Christie in the GOP gubernatorial primary is significant, although Steve Lonegan's camp will suggest it is not. Support from Schundler makes it more difficult for Lonegan to persuade conservative Republican primary voters to oppose Christie, the former U.S. Attorney who has become the front runner for the chance to challenge Gov. Jon Corzine in the fall. Like U.S. Rep. Christopher Smith, whose endorsement of Christie is like a Good Housekeeping seal of approval within the pro-life community - a vote Lonegan must win big if he is to be successful in the June primary - Schundler is popular enough with conservatives that his support will be helpful.

NJ Rebates No More?

In New Jersey under wacky Jon Corzine things just get worse and worse.
Now the state with the nation's highest taxes may be facing yet another tax hike and elimination of the property tax rebate program - the last minuscule piece of help in the face of soaring taxes.
Yes -- you heard me right: elimination of the rebate altogether.
Amidst all this the Assembly Budget Chair has gone and made a fool of himself -- vowing to fight to the death for the rebates one day and then completely backing off the next.
This is what wacky Jon does to people, including leaders in his own party. He makes them tongue-tied.
From Angeli Delli Santi of the Associated Press:
On Wednesday, New Jersey Assembly Budget Committee Chairman Louis Greenwald, D-Voorhees, said he would "fight to the death" to avoid eliminating or reducing property tax rebates in New Jersey, where the average homeowner pays $6,800 a year in property taxes. On Thursday, he backed away from that statement, saying the budget debate would continue in the months ahead. "I want to make sure money gets in the people's pockets," Greenwald said after meeting with the governor Thursday. "As much of that as we can preserve through the rebate program, even though I don't like the program in and of itself, it puts money back in people's pockets."
And here's more from Politicker NJ:
"The fact is that Lou Greenwald tried to score cheap political points by coming out in favor of keeping property tax rebates," said Camden County GOP Chairman Richard DeMichele, Jr. "But Greenwald didn't clear his comments with the real boss in town, Jon Corzine, and when Corzine found out, suddenly Greenwald could not be found."
"As Assembly Budget Chairman Lou Greenwald has been reckless and irresponsible in making New Jersey unaffordable and unfriendly to small business," DeMichele added. "Lou Greenwald won't stand up to Jon Corzine, and he won't stand up for South Jersey taxpayers."