Thursday, March 15, 2012

Two Monmouth County Dems vie to unseat U.S. Rep. Smith in the fall

I had been hearing this past week rumblings concerning potential Democrats that may or may not be interested in running against Republican Congressman Chris Smith in the 4th Congressional District, unfortunately however no one wanted to comment or go on the record with names of the individuals that were interested in taking on Smith. Being Democratic County Committeeman myself, I found this slightly frustrating.


Currently I reside in the 12th Congressional District and for the past 9 years Congressman Rush Holt has been my representative in Congress but with the congressional redistricting that took place earlier this year,  I am not sure if I am now in the new 4th Congressional District which would make Smith my Congressman if reelected in November or in the new 6th Congressional District that would make Frank Pallone my new Congressman in November.  My confusion as to what congressional district I will now reside in comes from the fact that the dividing line between the old 12th and 6th districts was the yellow line that runs down the middle of my street. No one has been able to tell me if this current line in the street will be still be the divide between districts as of yet, I hope to find out though next Thursday night.


Next Thursday night the Monmouth County Democrats will be holding their annual Convention to nominate candidates for both of the newly formed congressional districts that now stretch across the County and split Middletown along the bayshore. 


So I was greatly interest today when I found an article posted on NJ.com this morning that named two Monmouth County residents willing to take on the incumbent Smith in the 4th and give us County Committee people something to think about heading into the convention.


According to the NJ.com posting and confirmed with a phone call, Red Bank Attorney Patricia Bennett and Spring Lake executive Brian Froelich will be introducing themselves to convention delegates next week, vying for right to take on Chris Smith.


I don't know much about either Bennett or Froelich, but i'm looking forward to finding out more next Thursday night, but in the mean time here is what NJ.com had to say about them:

Bennett, 65, is an elder-law attorney. She previously served as the county surrogate for Monmouth and a councilwoman in Howell. 
"I've done a few firsts in my life and for me, it's time for a woman to take Chris Smith down," Bennett said.
Bennett said she was spurred to run by Smith's stands on senior care, saying he voted for U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan's 2012 budget plan, which included a provision to privatize Medicare starting in 2022. 
And she takes issue with what she calls Republicans' current attacks on birth control and women's reproductive rights. Smith, who is against abortion rights, co-chairs the bipartisan Congressional Pro-Life Caucus. 
"Women's rights are being assailed on vigorously by the Republican party," she said.
"No woman can sit back and let this happen without a fight." 
Froelich is a semiretired executive who now serves as a business consultant. He previously worked as a senior vice president for American Express and CEO of senior housing developer Senior Campus Living LLC. 
Froelich said he's more concerned with fiscal than social issues, and he said Smith has had his chance to try to lower the federal deficit or work out solutions to the still feeble economy. 
"If somebody came to me as a businessman with Chris Smith's record, I wouldn't hire him," Froelich said. 
As someone who has never run for public office before, Froelich said he had a "clean record and a business record."




8 comments:

Anonymous said...

Mike:

I don't know if you have a daughter, but if you do, and Chris Smith is your Congressman, move across the street. I'm not quite sure myself if we've wound up with Smith as our representative. If so, it's back to the future time. How sad if even more women in NJ have to rely on Chris Smith to protect their interests.


http://front.moveon.org/hillary-clinton-1000-the-other-guy-0/

Anonymous said...

abortion is not healthcare-it's murder. If Bennett is an elder lawyer, she most likely defends the quality of life issues for the elderly. We owe the unborn the same consideration. Prevention is key. I don't want my tax dollars paying to snuff out innocent life whether it be the elderly or the unborn. If you're not pro-life, you are pro-death. Period. We have laws on the mistreatment of animals. Where is the justice in this when it comes to human life?

Anonymous said...

The women of NJ who may have Chris Smith foisted upon them with the new legislative map need to be made aware of his positions on a woman's right to choose. It really is unbelievable that women in NJ in 2012 are faced with having someone of his views represent them.

And no one can force a woman to carry a fetus. The only question is whether women will once again die in back alleys. People like 7:49 are pro death- there are many years of pre Roe to prove the truth of that.

Anonymous said...

And it time we catch those van-loads of men jumping out and impregnating women against their will----because they had nothing to do with getting preggers i suppose.
l don't care if you kill your baby, just don't ask me to pay for it.

Anonymous said...

nothing wrong with religious freedom and no one or no Religious Organization - Hospital or Doctor should be forced to fund abortions which are against their religious beliefs. It's that simple. The media is making this more than what it is. There are plenty of other places that one can obtain an abortion legally and safely. Don't force it upon those who practice their religion.
Shame on the media for making this an issue --focus on the economy where Obama is failing this country miserably. Oust Obama if you want to save this country from self-destruction. He is as incompetent as them come.

Anonymous said...

What a bunch of cretins. No one is forcing anyone to have an abortion. It is people like Chris Smith who is trying to force women in the US to carry to term against their will.

My tax dollars fund wars I disagree with and tax benefits to religious institutions I don't support. Who's forcing their beliefs here?

Anonymous said...

http://chrissmith.house.gov/News/DocumentSingle.aspx?DocumentID=283968

Anonymous said...

http://chrissmith.house.gov/LawsAndResolutions/

I don't care what party he is. He's a GOOD GUY. Don't you remember he went to bat for the Goldmans, flew down to South America on his own dime - he is a man of action and not just words, like so many politicians. He's also a longtime advocate for our veterans.