New Jersey’s next gubernatorial election is November 7, 2017. And with Gov. Christie entering his last act, the buzz is starting about who is planning to bring in another show. Yet with a Republican governor laden by low polls, the New Jersey Republican Party is in trouble.
As Carl Golden — former press secretary for Gov. Thomas Kean and Spotlight NJ contributor — noted in a recent column the lack of dynamic movement by Republicans to push a candidate “suggests that many in the party believe a gubernatorial run next year is a kamikaze mission, that the party has been weakened to a point where mounting a credible, aggressive, and ultimately successful campaign is impossible.”
Golden speculates that the most like potential nominee is Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno whom, he wrote, “possesses some level of name recognition and executive experience to lead the ticket.”
Golden isn’t alone. The online news site PolitickerNJ noted a few months back that the 56-year-old Guadagno — who acknowledged that she is “considering a run” and is the honorary chair of a the recently established nonprofit Building a Better New Jersey Together — is an “obvious choice,.” The political online news source explained that “as a leading member of the Republican establishment, Guadagno could muster support from the Republican Party machine in the state. (She) could also find a support base among some lesser-known Republicans in the state because, throughout her career, she has made an effort to support GOP candidates even in deadlocked districts.”
Her background, however, may suggest more of the same of what has been in the office. Like the governor, Guadagno, born Kimberly-Ann McFadden in Iowa, has a foundation in law enforcement. She has a law degree from Washington College of Law in Washington, D.C., and is a former Assistant United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York and the District of New Jersey and Assistant New Jersey Attorney General. A resident of Monmouth County, her prior public offices include serving on the Monmouth Beach planning board, successfully running as a borough commissioner, and being elected in 2007 as Monmouth County Sheriff. She is married to New Jersey District Court Judge Michael Guadagno and has three children. She was elected as Lt. Governor in 2009 and again in 2013.
As PolitickerNJ notes since her term as lieutenant governor ends in 2017, her candidacy would not jeopardize any current position and could be seen as a seamless continuation of current administration or political party.
Two other prominent and well position Republicans are regularly mentioned as potential candidates.
First is Thomas Kean Jr., 47, the son of the former governor. Political writers note that his name recognition, likability, and his role as senate minority leader give his some credibility and strong establishment support.
Representing the 21st District that includes portions of Union, Somerset, and Morris counties, Kean has served in the state senate since 2003. He entered state political office through an appointment to complete an Assembly term in March 2001, then winning the general election that same year. In 2003 he was appointed to fill a vacancy in the state senate and has been elected since. He served as senate minority whip and on the Health, Human Service and Senior Citizens Committee.
Unlike Guadagno, Kean is Jersey born — Livingston — and holds a master of arts in law and diplomacy from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University. He served as aide to former Congressman Bob Franks and a special assistant at the United States Environmental Protection Agency. He lives in Westfield with his wife and two daughters. “
PolitickerNJ notes that Kean’s decision to run has a downside. If he loses, he would have to forfeit his assembly seat if he enters the general election.
The second is Jon Bramnick, 62. “As the assembly minority leader, Bramnick would also be an obvious establishment choice like Guadagno to pursue the governorship. He is generally well liked and seen as a moderate alternative to some Republicans in the state,” noted PolitickerNJ.
Now in his sixth term in the Assembly, the Plainfield native also represents the 21st district of Union, Somerset, and Morris counties.
He is a trial attorney and a partner in the Scotch Plain law firm of Bramnick, Rodriguez, Grabas & Woodruff. He has a J.D. from Hofstra University’s School of Law and lives in Westfield with his wife Patricia. He has two grown children. Bramnick also holds the distinction of being “Funniest Lawyer in New Jersey,” thanks to New Jersey State Bar Association contest held at Rascals Comedy Club. Like Kean, PolitickerNJ notes that Bramnick’s run could jeopardize his current legislative position.
No matter who wins the nomination, the going for state Republicans won’t be easy and the reason is the current governor. “His presence has been so overwhelming — suffocating, his critics grumble — that he transcended and overshadowed party identification,” wrote Golden, adding that the party ceased to function as a traditional statewide organization and morphed into a personality-driven “Christie Party.”
“The Republican brand became the Christie brand, its legitimacy rising or falling based on the governor’s performance and popularity,” wrote Golden, who earlier this year criticized the governor’s bullying and belligerent persona.
With Christie’s failing performance and falling popularity, Golden said, “Any potential Republican gubernatorial nominee — but Guadagno in particular — will be perceived as the candidate of the Christie Party, seeking to succeed him and continue the programs and policies of his administration.”
Guadagno seems to have reinforced that perception with the naming of Bill Stepien as Building a Better New Jersey Together’s executive director. Stepien was Christie’s 2009 and 2013 campaign manager and deputy chief of staff for intergovernmental affairs.
He also worked for Christie during the infamous closing of the George Washington Bridge and had been romantically involved with Christie chief of staff Bridget Anne Kelly, author of the infamous “Time for some traffic problems” email to Port Authority’s David Wildstein.
Wildstein has since cooperated with a federal investigation and claimed that the bridge closing that jeopardized and inconvenienced a state community was orchestrated by administration-insiders as political revenge against Fort Lee’s mayor.
While E-mails show Stepien being aware of the closures and calling Fort Lee’s mayor “an idiot,” there is no indication that he knew of the cause. After Gov. Christie announced he “lost confidence” with Stepien, the two distanced themselves from one another.
The bridge closing and the ensuing costly and controversial internal investigation have become synonymous with this administration. So this year’s federal trial — with testimony by Kelly and Wildstein — will be a public reminder of an administration led, as Golden wrote, by someone whose “capacity for arrogance and condescension is unlimited.”
Golden has clearly described Guadagno’s situation, calling her an integral part of the current administration and “serving under the governor’s office direction, defending it when necessary, and promoting its agenda.”
The agenda, unfortunately, has created looming pension and transportation trust fund problems, a record number of economic downgrades, ongoing investigations, and a troubled Republican party.
