LoBiondo (R-NJ) set to break term limits pledge

[goobergunch]

Rep. Frank LoBiondo, who made term limits a key issue in his 1994 congressional race, is expected to announce on Monday that he's changed his mind and isn't inclined to end his congressional career after the 2006 campaign. LoBiondo has scheduled a news conference in Vineland on Monday morning with former Assembly Speaker Jack Collins, who recently wrote an Op-Ed for a local newspaper saying constituents would lose if LoBiondo ended his House career.

more...http://www.politicsnj.com/ (on the right below the Janet Haynes story)

Yet another would-be Dem seat in NJ stays off the table... <sigh>

(Gore 54.6% * 42.9% in NJ-2 (http://www.ncec.org/redistricting/district.phtml?district=nj108))

on edit: 2004 CALL: SAFE GOP

[CMT]

1. It is possible this can hurt him in district

He campaigns on term limits and breaks pledge. I would really hit him hard on this issue.

[PROGRESSIVE1]

2. Class of 1994 Repug

Those Grand Old Hypocrits

:eyes:

[NewJerseyDem]

3. This is bad

I had high hopes for this seat in 2006 but I find it unlikely that any Democrat can beat LoBiondo because he got 69% of the vote in 2002. He is a pretty moderate Republican so he is fairly popular. However, he beat Bill Gormley, one of the most powerful Republicans in the state, in the primary in 1994 so Gormley might be unhappy that he broke his campaign pledge and might run against LoBiondo. This is still a seat to look at for the Democrats but I doubt that we have much hope here.

[pop009]

4. GOP has hold on this district for times to come...

I live in this district (born and raised there) and before LoBiondo, it was Bill Hughes - another GOP moderate. (Hughes Jr. is now a state assemblyman, so I wouldn't be surprised to see him run after LoBiondo.) The district is basically made up of three counties in extreme southern New Jersey: Cumberland, Atlantic, and Cape May. I lived in Cape May County all my life and I can tell you that the Dems basically have no prayer there. (Many local politicians 'convert' from Dems to the GOP - my former mayor did this in 1997-1998.) In other words, this district is NOTHING close to a 'would-be' Dem seat.

My father is a hardcore republican, so I am somewhat familiar with the party in CMC. They function like a standard good-ole' boys crowd; directing do-nothing county jobs to political suppporters and just being slimeballs in general.

I am less familiar with Cumberland and Atlantic Counties, (I live in Atlantic County now) but I imagine that LoBiondo's support base comes from Cumberland county. (That's where he is from) Also, CMC & Cumberland went GOP for Bush in 2000. The best chance for the dems in this district is Atlantic county. I am not sure if the district includes Atlantic City...but it seems that Atlantic county is by far the most progressive and diverse. The other two counties seem to be mostly rural WASPS. (read: die-hard GOPers)

Keep in mind that it is not LoBiondo himself, but rather it is his supporters who are clamoring for this. So, he can break his pledge and then play it off like he has so much support that he has no choice but to run again.

[NewJerseyDem]

5. Hughes was a Democrat

He was a Democrat. So, there have been Democratic congressmen from that area. But, that was a while ago. I think that the 2000 presidential results in that district show that that isn't a strong GOP district.

Also, some democrats have won down in the southern part of the state like Jeff Van Drew, Doug Fisher, and John Burzichelli who all serve in the assembly and are from the 2nd Congressional district area.

[GalleryGod]

6. Hughes was part of the "Watergate Sweep" of '74

I liked Bill;he always worked well us.

[pop009]

8. my bad....

I didn't realize my mistake about Hughes.

Also, my view of this district is from a Cape May County perspective, so it is somewhat slanted. From the CMC persepctive, the district is strongly GOP. However, Cumberland and Atlantic Counties both went for Gore in 2000. So...you're right. I keep forgetting that despite all the rural republicans, there are several diverse communities in Cumberland County (Vineland, Millville, and Bridgeton) that one would think would be strongly democratic. This trend is also visible (as I mentioned before) in Atlantic County, where there is much 'farmland' in the west, but there are also many diverse communities such as Egg Harbor Township, Atlantic City, and Hammonton...

Of the state assemblymen that you mentioned, the only one that I am familiar with is Van Drew, because he is from CMC. I can tell you that he isn't very popular in HIS district and he faces BRUTAL opposition from repukes in the area.

[PROGRESSIVE1]

7. Republicans Lying...

suprised???

Take Back American in 04' :dem: