With 7th District up for grabs, the cash flows freely

The Star-Ledger
April 17, 2008
By Gabriel H. Gluck

The job may pay less than $170,000, but the political war chests of the 7th Congressional District candidates who want the job have now crossed the $2 million mark.

According to campaign finance reports filed with the Federal Election Commission, Assemblywoman Linda Stender (D-Union), who spent nearly $2 million two years ago in her quest for the congressional seat, has already amassed $1.06 million.

Stender, who is running unopposed for the Democratic nomination, is now far ahead of any of the seven Republican contenders who are seeking to succeed Rep. Mike Ferguson, who opted not to seek reelection after four terms.

Leading the GOP field is Kate Whitman, daughter of former Gov. Christie Whitman, who has more than $434,000 in her political cof fers. Sen. Leonard Lance (R-Hunterdon) reported raising $294,000, al though nearly a third of that came from his own pocket.

Scotch Plains Mayor Marty Marks has also invested heavily in his own campaign, providing nearly $75,000 of the $123,000 in his war chest.

According to the most recent reports, former Summit Councilwoman P. Kelly Hatfield raised $106,000, of which nearly $56,000 came from her personal funds.

Montclair State University professor Brigid Harrison said she would not be surprised if the candidates in the 7th District race burn through upward of $7 million be fore it's all over in November.

"When there is an open seat, the political parties fight like mad so that their party will be sitting in that seat for the next 20 years," Harrison said. "So if you are one of the candidates, you are going to raise and spend an enormous amount of money."

The lines of congressional districts are drawn so that incumbents are virtually guaranteed to remain in office, she said, noting that 95 percent of all members of Congress are re-elected.

Harrison said that while the sums were astronomical, it did make sense.

"For many, it's shocking, surprising, and symptomatic of what's wrong with politics," she said. "But there are a lot of voters to reach out to -- and the fact that it's a presidential election year, there will be a lot of interest in the outcome of congressional races," she said.

The most costly aspect of the campaigns is television. Having a district in the most costly media markets in the country does not help in reining in expenses, Harrison said. "You're spending all this money to reach just a fraction of the viewership," she said.

The other truth about money is that "it buys you information," Harrison said. "With polling, you're better able to craft a message that's effective with voters -- it's the right message for this constituency."

Whitman hit the television airwaves this week with an assault on Lance. She chastised him for taking political contributions from state lobbyists and others who hold state contracts.

"I don't think it's right. I don't think it's an ethical thing to do," Whitman said. "He talks about being the most principled member of the state Senate -- this is disingenuous. He should give the money back."

Lance rejected Whitman's charges. "I have never influenced the awarding of any contract and would not do so," Lance said. "The awarding of contracts is done by the executive branch."

The Hunterdon senator said Whitman, who has also taken do nations from lobbyists, was running a television campaign that was "filled with distortion and falsehood."

"I've voted against six straight years of budgets and will be voting against this one, too," he said.