Assembly Minority Leader Jon Bramnick (R-21) told InsiderNJ he intends to remain neutral in the GOP Primary for Governor, but welcomed the chance to return fire at movement conservative Steve Lonegan, the former mayor of Bogota.

“Being reasonable and practical is something Steve Lonegan’s not interested in,” Bramnick said. “Unfortunately, if you look at everything through a partisan lens, you wont accomplish anything. Steve Lonegan has never embraced any kind of compromise. What I do is I stand for Republican principles but I am also practical and reasonable. Seventy-percent of this state want us to govern from the middle.

“I’m proud to be on the opposite side of Steve Lonegan,” Bramnick added. “I’m not Steve Lonegan, and I will never try to be Steve Lonegan.”

The minority leader questions the campaign strategies of Lieutenant Governor Kim Guadagno and Assemblyman Jack Ciattarelli (R-16) to the extent that they point fingers at the sitting governor.

“Bashing Chris Christie is not a path to victory by either candidate,” Bramnick said. “We would never have conceived of the two percent cap or arbitration reform without Chris Christie.”

InsiderNJ asked the assembly Republican leader if the candidates’ mutual savaging of the Christie record accounts for his own neutrality.

Bramnick said no.

“I’m friends with both candidates,” he said. “I’m not getting in the middle of two friends, but to overlook the accomplishments because Chris Christie’s unpopular right now is not a path to victory.”