(Photo by Press of AtlanticCity.com. Headline: “Van Drew gets Atlantic County Democratic Nomination by Landslide”. Republicans often agonize over “diversity”. Democrats have no problem with “old white guys” if they are strong candidates who can win.)
Democrats aggressively recruit, train, and promote strong candidates. Our Republican clubs often endorse weak candidates for the wrong reasons. Except for Trump, NJ Democrats have slowly gotten stronger during each of the past five years. We Republicans have gotten weaker.
Last year, most Republican County Conventions picked sure loser Kim Guadagno because “She came down to install our officers, and speak at our fundraisers” and “It’s her turn”. They rejected proven vote-getter Jack Ciattarelli. Many good Republicans were swept out of county and local offices because of this.
Here is how 47 delegates voted at last Tuesday’s Cumberland County GOP Convention:
Robert “Never Trump” Turkavage: 15
Sam Fiocchi: 14
Hirsh Singh: 11
Seth Grossman: 6
Jim Toto: 1
Bryan Fitzherbert: (Did not get nomination or second from floor, and was not considered)
John Zarych and Mark McGovern did not participate.
Did those 47 delegates fairly represent the views of the 25,000 Republican voters of Cumberland County? Here is my opinion:
1. Sam Fiocchi can’t win, and won’t energize Trump voters to vote for Republicans this November. In 2011, Fiocchi got elected Freeholder in Cumberland County when “Tea Party” conservatives got active and came out to vote. They also came out to elect Fiocchi to the State Assembly in 2013. However, in 2015, many conservatives felt betrayed by Chris Christie Republicans and did not vote that November. Sam Fiocchi is sincere and likeable. However, in my opinion, Sam does not understand why he lost conservatives three years ago, and has no plan to win them back. Fiocchi barely defeated Hirsh Singh 46 to 40 in last week’s GOP Convention in Cape May County, part of his old Assembly district Fiocchi got less than one third of the votes in his home county of Cumberland.
2. In my opinion, Robert “Never Trump” Turkavage is an even bigger problem. Although our 2d Congressional District voted 159,000 (50%) to 146,000 (46%) for President Trump, Turkavage bragged, “I’m in the John Kasich (Never Trump) mode”. Turkavage also praised current Republican Congressman Frank LoBiondo for voting against the repeal of Obamacare. In 2012, Turkavage refused to support Joe Kyrillos, the Republican candidate who ran against Democrat Bob Menendez for U.S. Senate. Turkavage instead ran as an independent, and got 3,204 votes (less than 0.1%). At the Margate GOP’s candidate’s forum at the Log Cabin last month, Turkavage misrepresented Trump’s statements on school safety. Turkavage said it was “stupid” to “put guns in the purses of every kindergarten and first grade teacher”. Trump, of course, never suggested that. President Trump said selected, carefully trained teachers and staff with military or law enforcement background should be allowed to have concealed weapons in schools. To make matters worse, Robert Turkevich looks and talks exactly like anti-Trump Special Prosecutor Robert Mueller, another retired FBI agent.
3. As with Kim Guadagno last year, Turkavage is winning the support of GOP County Convention delegates for the wrong reasons. Few delegates know Turkavage is against Trump. Each candidate can only speak for five minutes. Republican clubs don’t want Republican candidates who criticize other Republicans, Turkavage personally called and visited almost every delegate before every County Convention. He had plenty of time. He and his wife Sally (of the well-known and liked Plum family of Brigantine) both retired with full FBI pensions at age 50. When Turkavage visits those delegates, he is careful not to mention his support for Kasich and Obamacare, or his opposition to Trump.
However, the skills and tactics used to persuade a few dozen of some 400 delegates to County Republican conventions are not what we need to wake up the 159,000 voters who supported Trump in 2016. They will not inspire Trump voters to support Republican candidates this November.
Seth Grossman (on balcony to left of flag) speaking at Make America Great Again Rally in Seaside Heights, March 25, 2017.
I have far more experience, skill, networks, and name-recognition to do that, than any other candidate.
Here is my plan to win the Atlantic County Republican Convention on Saturday, and the Primary Election on June 5. What do you think?
1. I have the names and contact info for roughly half the delegates to the Atlantic County GOP Convention this Saturday. I am trying to personally speak to as many as I can. Can you help me by also contacting every likely delegate you know? If so, please contact me, and I will give you the names and contacts info of likely delegates in your town.
2. Right now, the County GOP endorsements are fractured, and of little value. Hirsh Singh has the “Regular Republican” column in parts of Ocean and Burlington Counties. Jim Toto has Salem. Sam Fiocchi has Cape May. Brian Fitzherbert has parts of Gloucester. Now “Never Trump” Turkavage is the “Regular Republican” in Cumberland. If I win the “Regular Republican” Column in Atlantic County, I will have the edge on June 5. Even if I don’t, my name recognition and contacts still make me competitive.
3 I have been invited to speak at the Second Amendment Rally in Trenton on Monday, March 26. I would like to file my nominating petitions while I am there. I need 200 signatures of Republican or “unaffiliated” voters in the District, plus 50 signatures for safety. Right now, I only have 110 because I was not looking for signatures before the conventions.. If you have a petition with signatures, please contact me so I can collect and notarize it. I will be collecting more signatures during the next few days. I need roughly 15 Republican or unaffiliated voters in the district to each get 5 to 10 others to sign by Sunday. If you can help, please contact me. You can download the petition from http://www.grossmanforcongress.com. Or please contact me, and I will send you a petition right away.
Thanks again for your consideration and support.
Seth Grossman
GrossmanforCongress.com |
Putting aside the many flaws in the arguments Mr. Grossman puts forth, can we take a moment to acknowledge the fact that he calls these organizations “clubs,” when in fact they are Committees, duly elected by the Republican primary voters? You would think a perennial candidate would be a little more aware of the process…
As a good faith minority counter-party, now is the time to develop Policy that actually resonates. The way to do this is to boldly go into districts traditionally ceded to the Dems and propose new policies that lead a new conversation. When we are leading on Policy, it will be easier to effect procedural change and assume a majority position.
Beyond serving the needs of money, what is it as a State Party that we are actually fighting FOR? Welcome visionary leadership. ✌️🐘🇺🇸🙏
This reads more like a campaign e-mail than a news or even opinion piece. Why post it?
Seth Grossman was the only Republican with the cujones to take on Fatboy in the 2013 primary and make him sweat. His message of “Liberty & Prosperity” resonates with 2nd district voters, and even without the establishment endorsements he’ll replicate Anna Little’s 2010 victory over the GOP bosses in the CD6 primary.