Lonegan To Skip County Conventions

STATEMENT: HANK BUTEHORN, CHAIRMAN, LONEGAN FOR GOVERNOR
"Today the Lonegan for Governor campaign has decided to redirect our efforts away from the process to secure county committee “lines” – and towards linking together a network of Republican grassroots activists throughout New Jersey. If I may use a Star Wars metaphor, we are leaving behind the Empire to focus on building a Rebel Alliance.

We entered into the county committee nominating process skeptical, but made a good faith effort to play by the GOP establishment’s rules. We leave this process convinced that a gubernatorial nominee has been pre-selected.

It is no secret that the county committees of both parties are as unaccountable and often undemocratic, as they are powerful. These private bodies – made an integral part of New Jersey’s election process through Title 19 – have the power to give candidates a “thumbs up” on the official ballot through what is called the party “line.” They also have power to fill the replacement of elected officials who cannot complete their term in office. 40 percent of New Jersey’s legislators currently serving today were selected by county committees when, in most of America, they would have been elected by special election.

New Jersey’s county committees are the most powerful in America, but the State GOP tried to stop bi-partisan legislation designed to provide them with a legal framework to ensure fairness and transparency.

This legislation, called the Party Democracy Act (S-930/ A-1904), provides a few basic safeguards like requiring that county committees have a published set of rules and that these rules are available for the asking. It requires that the county committees keep a list of their members and creates a process to prevent last minute stacking of the deck prior to nominating conventions. And it requires that county committee nominating conventions are conducted by secret ballot so that people have the opportunity to vote their conscience.

Last Thursday, February 26, the Party Democracy Act was unanimously passed out of the Senate State Government Committee. Among those who have or intend to co-sponsor this legislation are Senators Diane Allen of Burlington County and Jennifer Beck of Monmouth County; Assemblywomen Amy Handlin of Monmouth County, Charlotte Vandervalk of Bergen County, and Alison Littell McHose of Sussex County; as well as Assemblyman Gary Chiusano of Sussex County.

The state GOP and most of its county chairmen oppose these reforms. Last Thursday, Senator Allen and others spoke eloquently of the harassment they have experienced at the hands of county committees. Senator Allen described these party machines and their bosses as “fiefdoms” run by individuals who “intimidate… bully… and even blackmail” in an attempt to control the process.

We agree, and conclude that it is not in the best interests of the electorate or the Republican Party to take part in any county committee nominating process until the Party Democracy Act is law.

Mayor Lonegan understands that some of his supporters will continue to try to work within the current framework. He will not discourage their efforts or boycott their requests to speak before the individual county committees to spread his plans to cut the size of government, cut taxes, and stand up for taxpayers. Steve understands that there are many good people stuck in the existing process who embrace his message as the future of the party.

Steve Lonegan supports passage of S-930/ A-1904 and calls on the other candidates for Governor to do the same."

This is a smart strategic move of the part of the Lonegan campaign as it as been obvious for months that Steve had no shot to gain support of the Republican establishment. After last year's fiasco for U.S. Senate nomination, I was surprised that the Lonegan campaign spent any resources on the conventions in the first place.

The conventions are now irrelevant except for county and legislative races where there are any.

Win or lose the nomination, Lonegan's message is important for New Jersey and for the NJ GOP to hear.

Now Chris Christie and Steve Lonegan can focus their resources (our tax dollars)on delivering their messages to the primary voters. Hopefully both sides will conduct dignified, issue oriented campaigns that will result in a nominee that NJ Republicans can rally around for the fight against Corzine and the Trenton Democratic machine come November.