Paul Aronsohn is running against E. Scott Garrett in the New Jersey Fifth. This is a race that can be won by the Democrats and Paul is the man to do it.
Paul is not just talking the talk, he is walking the walk. He is walking from one end of the district to the other through as many towns as possible. He has already walked through two counties and is about to finish a third, and has knocked on over 3,000 doors.
He is just the person to beat crazy Republican Garett
More on the flip side...
Paul Aronsohn is runnning against E. Scott Garrett in the New Jersey Fifth. This is a race that can be won by the Democrats and Paul is the man to do it.
Paul is not just talking the talk, he is walking the walk. He is walking from one end of the district to the other through as many towns as possible. He has already walked through two counties and is about to finish a third, and has knocked on over 3,000 doors.
He is just the person to beat crazy Republican Garett
More on the flip side...
The District runs the top of New Jersey and a little bit southward. It travels from the Northern half of Bergen County through Essex and Passic County and a clear a majority of Sussex County and all of Warren County. The towns:
Warren County
* Allamuchy-Panther Valley
# Alpha
# Belvidere
# Blairstown Township
# Franklin Township
# Frelinghuysen Township
# Greenwich Township
# Hackettstown
# Hardwick Township
# Harmony Township
# Hope Township
# Independence Township
* Great Meadows-Vienna
# Knowlton Township
# Liberty Township
# Lopatcong Township
# Mansfield Township
* Beattystown
# Oxford Township
* Oxford
# Phillipsburg
# Pohatcong Township
# Washington Township
* Brass Castle
# Washington
# White Township
Bergen County
* Allendale
* Alpine
* Bergenfield
* Closter
* Cresskill
* Demarest
* Dumont
* Emerson
* Fair Lawn (part)
* Franklin Lakes
* Glen Rock
* Harrington Park
* Haworth
* Hillsdale
* Ho-Ho-Kus
* Mahwah Township
* Midland Park
* Montvale
* Northvale
* Norwood
* Oakland
* Old Tappan
* Oradell
* Paramus
* Park Ridge
* Ramsey
* Ridgewood
* River Vale
* Rochelle Park
* Rockleigh
* Saddle River
* Tenafly
* Upper Saddle River
* Waldwick
* Washington Township
* Westwood
* Woodcliff Lake
* Wyckoff Township
Passaic County
* North Haledon (part)
* Ringwood
* Wanaque
* West Milford
Sussex County
* Andover Township
* Andover
* Branchville
* Frankford Township
* Franklin
* Fredon Township
* Green Township
* Hamburg
* Hampton Township
* Hardyston Township
* Hopatcong
* Lafayette Township
* Montague Township
* Newton
* Ogdensburg
* Sandyston Township
* Stillwater Township
* Sussex
* Vernon Township
* Walpack Township
* Wantage Township
This district is mostly upper middle class but includes people of all levels income. Most of the registered voters live in Bergen County, which is also the wealthy of all the counties in the district. The people in Bergen are socially liberal and economically conservative and as you travel westward the trend of the voters shifts as people become more socially conservative and more economically liberal. There is a vast range of professions in the district go from corporate executives to farmers and everything in between. The people of the district really aren't extreme and have generally elected moderates.
For several years this district was represented by moderate Republican Marge Roukema, who was seriously beloved in the district. Since her retirement there have been several schools which have named political aspects of their school after her. Roukema retired because she got pushed out by a combination of the Conservative caucus and the Club for growth, who ran two serious challengers against her. And for the last two terms the district has been represented by E. Scott Garett.
Scott Garett as he prefers to be known is a real whack-job of a congressman. He belongs to a real crazy church called The Laffayette Family Church that believes stem cell research is selling off baby body parts and that all people who are not there type of Christians are going to hell.
Paul Aronsohn has spent most of his life committed to public service and committed to the American tradition of "giving something back to the community". He has worked for President Clinton's state department and Governor McGreevy's communication department. And for the last few years He has worked as a public affairs officer with Pfizer Healthcare.
The campaign is fighting the tough fight. Besides just walking through the district the campaign is pushing a strong absentee voter initiative to reduce the drop off vote and using the help of the two DFA organizations in the district. The campaign is also getting some national attention.
Former Supreme Allied Commander NATO forces Europe General Wesley Clark (retired) has stumped for Paul and has given him some money. Paul has gotten the endorsements from the Sierra Club, SEIU and NJEA and he is the only New Jersey challenger to get all three endorsements.
Paul is a moderate Democratic who won a tough primary against Camille Abate. There was a lot of anger, resentment and energy in this primary. It took awhile for the progressive community to come around to Paul but they finally have and he is taking the momentum into November
The good news:
1. There are two DFA chapters in this district, North New Jersey Democracy for America and Bergen Grassroots (one of the winners of the latest DFA online challenge).
2. Most people still think that Roukema represents the district.
3. There are two websites set up to help defeat Garret. (retiregarett.blogspot.com and dumpgarret.com)
4. Garett is also crazy. He has voted against the following bills that a large proportion of people believe in: voter rights act reauthorization, funding for Katrina Victims and reconstruction, funding for tornado victims and strongly supports the Iraq Occupation.
5. It is a Democratic Year
And now the bad news:
It is still a slightly Republican district. So it will take a big effort by the campaign to take this district. Garett is still liked.
I really feel that this candidate, in this year can win this district.