BEST AND WORST CAMPAIGNS OF 2009 BEST CAMPAIGNS OF THE YEAR 1. Chris Christie for Governor The biggest prize in New Jersey politics is Drumthwacket. The Christie campaign stayed relentlessly on message, rejecting pro-bono consulting opportunities from editorial page writers, columnists and many in their own party regarding a property tax plan. The campaign refused to get dragged into some of the process issue fights – more than a dozen separate negative attacks ― despite the best efforts of the Corzine campaign (and sometimes from the formidable primary campaign of Steve Lonegan) to throw things up against the wall with the hope that they might stick. But when they chose to fight back, they did so effectively. Team Christie, knowing they couldn’t compete with Corzine’s personal checkbook, held firm to their campaign plan and harvested their money until they were ready to spend it. That takes incredible discipline. The Christie campaign successfully squashed independent Chris Daggett so they could take anti-Corzine votes away from Daggett while keeping the anti-Christie voters content to support Daggett. In what is arguably America’s bluest state, Christie’s 86,714 vote win, with pluralities in Democratic strongholds like Middlesex County, was indeed impressive. 2. Nelson Albano and Matt Milam for State Assembly The 1st districts Democrats were the #1 GOP targets and in a district that the Republican gubernatorial candidate won handily, Jeff Van Drew’s team scored a solid and impressive victory. Democrats separated the two Assemblymen from the unpopular Republican governor and made it into a local campaign. Two other things that helped them win: South Jersey Democratic money and an inept campaign from the Republicans. 3. Jerramiah Healy for Mayor of Jersey City The uncertainties of Jersey City politics made Team Healy remain in campaign mode for four years. They raised lots of money, ran an excellent incumbency protection operation from City Hall, and scared some serious challengers out of the race. With a 53%-26% win – his two main competitors were arrested two months later), Jerry Healy is only Jersey City Mayor since Frank Hague to win three times without a runoff 4. Mike Doherty for State Senate After losing a special election convention last January, the conservative Warren County Republican said he’d “rather die” than not run in the June primary. Insider contests weren’t his thing, and over the next five months, Doherty effectively made his case directly to Republican primary voters in a well-organized, strongly-messaged campaign that beat incumbent Marcia Karrow. 5. Kristin Corrado for Passaic County Clerk Passaic Republicans weren’t supposed to win; they were deeply divided into two warring factions – one side won the County Clerk nomination and the other three Freeholders nods. Much credit goes to the guys out of power, Peter Murphy and Mike Mecca, who overcame Jon Corzine’s win in Passaic County with huge suburban pluralities and a surprise win in Clifton that helped the GOP win three Freeholder seats too. 6. Peter Cammarano for Mayor of Hoboken Too bad he turned out to be an alleged crook: Pete Cammarano’s campaign for Mayor of Hoboken was masterful. The campaign forged a coalition of young professionals who were relatively short-term residents with the born-and-raised Hoboken old guard, and added support from public employees. 7. Bruce Garganio and Mary Ann O’Brien for Burlington County Freeholder The numbers favor Republicans in Burlington County, and while the GOP was helped by internal strife within the Democratic leadership, they get credit for running a strong, detail-oriented campaign to keep control of the Board of Freeholders in Republican hands. Chris Russell gets a lot of credit for making sure the GOP made no mistakes in a county where Democrats were on the verge of winning. 8. Joe Menza for Mayor of Hillside This political newcomer beat the machine – Charlotte DeFilippo’s local machine – in a runoff. Joe Menza skillfully won the support of the losing candidates in the first election. Still no explanation why the Democratic Governor’s Association viewed the Hillside mayoral race as important enough to invest $10,000 in their bid to beat Menza. 9. Lou Magazzu for Cumberland County Freeholder Two ex-Democratic Freeholders ran as independents and joined Republicans in beating up on Magazzu. He ran an aggressive campaign, didn’t let his opponents drive his negatives, and won decisively. People in Cumberland County really do like Lou Magazzu, and politically, he’s stronger than ever. 10. John Curley for Monmouth County Freeholder After narrowly losing control in 2008, Monmouth Republicans, helped by Christie/Guadagno coattails and a strong direct mail campaign by Jamestown Associates, easily won their majority back with Curley ousting formidable Democrat Sean Byrnes by 20 percentage points. PREDICTION OF THE YEAR In his closing arguments to the jury, former State Sen. Joe Coniglio’s lawyer, Gerald Krovatin said: “What kind of fantasy world do we live in here where they’re trying to convince you someone would send a bill for a bribe? Bribes are paid in cash — in envelopes, in diners, in parking lots, in shadows. Bribes aren’t paid in check pursuant to invoices.” RUNNERS UP: Dick Codey in September: “And I can handle Sweeney.” Steve Sweeney’s response: “I can take Codey with one hand tied behind my back.” “Right now, the Italians, the Hispanics, the seniors are locked down. Nothing can change that now. . . . I could be, uh, indicted, and I’m still gonna win 85 to 95 percent of those populations.” – Hoboken Mayor Peter Cammarano at a diner discussing his runoff campaign against Dawn Zimmer with a political consultant and an undercover witness cooperating with the U.S. Attorney. According to Nick Sacco: “People say they don’t like negative campaigns but, let’s face it, if candidates go completely positive they usually don’t win.” “It’s great to be at the Steve Sweeney for Senate Presidency breakfast.” ― Gov. Jon Corzine at the 115th annual Peter J. McGuire Labor Day Observance in Camden County, in September. South Amboy Mayor Jack O’Leary, denying that he would drop out, before he dropped out: “I just need time. I can take you on a walk right now and you’ll see people giving me the thumbs-up sign and honking their horns at me and encouraging me to run - 100 people have reached out to me telling me to run ― but I need time. Time is on my side when it comes to vetting this thing out.”
INSIDE Winners & Losers of the <strong>Year</strong> * Politician of the <strong>Year</strong> * Best & Worst Campaigns of 2009 * More...
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