Impeach Corzine
02-20-2007, 03:42 PM
It has not taken long before Republicans move on from their loss of the Governorship and begin planning to wrestle Drumthwacket back from Jon Corzine in three years. Here's my first short list:
BILL BARONI
This 33-year-old pro-labor, pro-life Italian/Irish Catholic has won two elections in a Democratic district by substantial margins. The Law Professor from Hamilton Township, perhaps the #1 swing town in the state, was the only Republican to upset an incumbent in '03 when he knocked on 10,000 doors, and he was easily re-elected by 8,000 votes after securing endorsements from labor, business and environmental groups, and ranked #4 in individual fundraising among all legislative candidates.
CHRIS CHRISTIE
There is no shortage of Republicans who think the corruption-busting United States Attorney should have been the GOP gubernatorial candidate in 2005. A former Morris County Freeholder Director and a formidable fundraiser, the 42-year-old Mendham resident has assembled a strong record of taking on corrupt politicians from both parties and has received more editorial praise than any New Jersey Republican since Gov. Tom Kean. By the end of the Bush presidency, Christie will have held the job for nearly eight years.
MIKE DOHERTY
The 42-year-old West Point graduate won more votes than any other candidate for the State Assembly in the '05 election. One of the most conservative members of the Legislature, he has the potential of uniting the conservative base that split between Bret Schundler and Steve Lonegan in the last gubernatorial primary. A patent attorney, he has won two tough primaries and nearly a third for Assembly in Warren County, where he served as a Freeholder, and seems anxious to run statewide.
BOB FRANKS
More than a few Republican leaders have revisited the 2000 Senate campaign, when the politically adept former four-term Congressman from Union County nearly beat Jon Corzine. A moderate Republican, he was able to keep conservatives hapy. Now 55 and running the Healthcare Institute of New Jersey, some say Franks still aspires to be Governor; his '01 bid, as a last minute substitute for Don DiFrancesco, ended in a GOP primary loss. The former Republican State Chairman has always been a favorite of the party faithful.
STEVE LONEGAN
The Mayor of Bogota ran in 2005 as the most conservative candidate in a field of Republicans who called themselves conservatives. He finished fourth (and probably took away enough votes to deny Bret Schundler the nomination), but clearly established himself as the de facto leader of New Jersey's right wing. Lonegan, who wins local office in a Democratic town in Bergen County by solid margins, is a major force in New Jersey GOP politics, and could run for Governor again.
JOHN MURPHY
The 45-year-old Morris County Freeholder and former Morris Township Mayor made an impressive bid for the 2005 GOP gubernatorial nomination, a campaign many viewed as a set up for a future run anyway. In a large field, the pro-life, Irish Catholic was the only one to truly break out of the pack; a few extra votes at the Union County convention could have changed the course of history. Republicans think he's a strong campaigner, and he has a huge base in Morris New Jersey's #1 primary county.
MEHMET OZ
The Turkish-born cardiovascular surgeon from Cliffside Park toyed with an '06 U.S. Senate bid and has become increasingly involved in state GOP politics including a road show with a plan to revitalize the party. The 45-year-old Harvard graduate has had a nationally syndicated cable TV show and potentially some strong fundraising connections within the medical community. He calls himself a pro-choice fiscal conservative.
HAL RAVECHE
The Stevens Institute of Technology President considered a bid for Governor in 2005, but declined. The self-described pro-choice, anti-gun, pro-business Republican might be the type of centrist that can win a general election. The last time the party out of power ran a strong, articulate and personable University President for Governor they won.
CLIFF SOBEL
The Short Hills millionaire businessman was a major GOP fundraiser before George W. Bush tapped him as his United States Ambassador to the Netherlands. He briefly mulled a bid for the U.S. Senate in '06 and could easily run against Frank Lautenberg in 2008 or for Governor in '09. The question is whether New Jersey Republicans will nominate another businessman or a Whitman Republican.
BILL BARONI
This 33-year-old pro-labor, pro-life Italian/Irish Catholic has won two elections in a Democratic district by substantial margins. The Law Professor from Hamilton Township, perhaps the #1 swing town in the state, was the only Republican to upset an incumbent in '03 when he knocked on 10,000 doors, and he was easily re-elected by 8,000 votes after securing endorsements from labor, business and environmental groups, and ranked #4 in individual fundraising among all legislative candidates.
CHRIS CHRISTIE
There is no shortage of Republicans who think the corruption-busting United States Attorney should have been the GOP gubernatorial candidate in 2005. A former Morris County Freeholder Director and a formidable fundraiser, the 42-year-old Mendham resident has assembled a strong record of taking on corrupt politicians from both parties and has received more editorial praise than any New Jersey Republican since Gov. Tom Kean. By the end of the Bush presidency, Christie will have held the job for nearly eight years.
MIKE DOHERTY
The 42-year-old West Point graduate won more votes than any other candidate for the State Assembly in the '05 election. One of the most conservative members of the Legislature, he has the potential of uniting the conservative base that split between Bret Schundler and Steve Lonegan in the last gubernatorial primary. A patent attorney, he has won two tough primaries and nearly a third for Assembly in Warren County, where he served as a Freeholder, and seems anxious to run statewide.
BOB FRANKS
More than a few Republican leaders have revisited the 2000 Senate campaign, when the politically adept former four-term Congressman from Union County nearly beat Jon Corzine. A moderate Republican, he was able to keep conservatives hapy. Now 55 and running the Healthcare Institute of New Jersey, some say Franks still aspires to be Governor; his '01 bid, as a last minute substitute for Don DiFrancesco, ended in a GOP primary loss. The former Republican State Chairman has always been a favorite of the party faithful.
STEVE LONEGAN
The Mayor of Bogota ran in 2005 as the most conservative candidate in a field of Republicans who called themselves conservatives. He finished fourth (and probably took away enough votes to deny Bret Schundler the nomination), but clearly established himself as the de facto leader of New Jersey's right wing. Lonegan, who wins local office in a Democratic town in Bergen County by solid margins, is a major force in New Jersey GOP politics, and could run for Governor again.
JOHN MURPHY
The 45-year-old Morris County Freeholder and former Morris Township Mayor made an impressive bid for the 2005 GOP gubernatorial nomination, a campaign many viewed as a set up for a future run anyway. In a large field, the pro-life, Irish Catholic was the only one to truly break out of the pack; a few extra votes at the Union County convention could have changed the course of history. Republicans think he's a strong campaigner, and he has a huge base in Morris New Jersey's #1 primary county.
MEHMET OZ
The Turkish-born cardiovascular surgeon from Cliffside Park toyed with an '06 U.S. Senate bid and has become increasingly involved in state GOP politics including a road show with a plan to revitalize the party. The 45-year-old Harvard graduate has had a nationally syndicated cable TV show and potentially some strong fundraising connections within the medical community. He calls himself a pro-choice fiscal conservative.
HAL RAVECHE
The Stevens Institute of Technology President considered a bid for Governor in 2005, but declined. The self-described pro-choice, anti-gun, pro-business Republican might be the type of centrist that can win a general election. The last time the party out of power ran a strong, articulate and personable University President for Governor they won.
CLIFF SOBEL
The Short Hills millionaire businessman was a major GOP fundraiser before George W. Bush tapped him as his United States Ambassador to the Netherlands. He briefly mulled a bid for the U.S. Senate in '06 and could easily run against Frank Lautenberg in 2008 or for Governor in '09. The question is whether New Jersey Republicans will nominate another businessman or a Whitman Republican.