N.J. legislative elections heating up

You've probably seen the ad portraying Republican Assemblyman Vince Polistina of Atlantic County as a shameless thief because his engineering firm has received municipal contracts.

You've likely also caught the commercial depicting his opponent in the Second District state Senate race, Democratic Sen. James Whelan, as a greedy pension padder.

With legislative elections more than three weeks away, over-the-top ads have been flooding airwaves and mailboxes, propelled by a deluge of campaign contributions in this district, which features one of the most contentious races in New Jersey.

Money is also being raised in impressive quantities in several other contests in South Jersey and elsewhere.

The Republican and Democratic slates in the Shore district have raised nearly $1 million each in their campaigns for the district's one Senate and two Assembly seats, and the races are expected to attract even more donations as the Nov. 8 election draws closer.

The state Election Law Enforcement Commission will release the first general-election reports for campaign-finance activity on Tuesday, but documents The Inquirer obtained last week offer an early look at fund-raising - and spending - in several of the most interesting races.

Those reports depict campaign activity as of 29 days before the election, so a lot can still change.

Whelan and his Democratic Assembly running mates, Atlantic County Freeholder Alisa Cooper and Damon Tyner, have raised a combined $918,467 and spent $800,326.

Whelan's vote for controversial legislation in June requiring public workers to pay more toward their pension and health benefits cost him the endorsement - and campaign contributions - of public-sector unions.

But he has received a flood of donations from building-trades unions, which have a big stake in the development of Atlantic City.

The Second District Democrats have already spent at least $270,000 on advertising, glossy fliers, and radio and TV commercials in the Philadelphia market.

The latest commercial began running Friday and attacks Assemblyman John Amodeo.

Republicans Polistina, Amodeo, and Chris Brown, the slate's other Assembly candidate, have raised a combined $942,632, though the Assembly candidates have split with Polistina over concerns about his campaign's negative ads. The Republican candidates have spent $462,917.

Republican Gov. Christie already has held a number of fund-raisers for the Second District Republicans, according to one party insider.

On the other side of South Jersey, in the Seventh District, covering parts of Burlington and Camden Counties, Republicans are lagging in fund-raising as they try to pick up the Assembly seats held by Democrats Herb Conaway and Troy Singleton.

Republicans Chris Halgas and Mount Laurel Mayor Jim Keenan have raised $227,122, and veteran GOP Sen. Diane Allen, expected to win handily, has raised $209,076.

Conaway, Singleton, and Beverly Mayor Gail Cook - Allen's challenger - have raised $549,718, with well over half of those contributions going to Singleton's campaign fund.

Much of that money is from building-trades unions and the health-care industry - nods to Singleton's job as a carpenters' union leader and to Conaway's chairmanship of the Assembly Health and Senior Services Committee.

A separate, joint account for the trio also included $24,900 from Assembly Speaker Sheila Oliver (D., Essex) and $28,684 from the Assembly Democrats in "in-kind" contributions.

Adam Bauer, spokesman for the GOP campaign, criticized Conaway and Singleton as insiders, sounding the theme of a recent attack ad. Singleton was formerly a top Assembly Democratic staffer, and Conaway has been in office since the late 1990s.

"It's not surprising that insiders certainly have the inside track on raising money, but we are certain we have the resources necessary to win," Bauer said.

Tyla Housman, a spokesman for the Democrats, responded that the party's slate was receiving "support from a lot of voters and families across this district."

One of the more lopsided fund-raising efforts is in the Third District, covering parts of Gloucester, Camden, and Salem Counties.

Senate President Stephen Sweeney (D., Gloucester), the most powerful man in the Legislature, has raised $1.1 million for his Senate reelection account. A separate fund he shares with Assemblywoman Celeste Riley (D., Cumberland) and Assemblyman John Burzichelli (D., Gloucester) has $554,842 in it.

Sweeney has spent less than a quarter of the money. Because he is not in a hotly contested race, he is expected to help out other candidates.

He has already donated $24,300 to Whelan, Cooper, and Tyner.

Michael Mulligan, Sweeney's GOP opponent, said he was not bothered that he had raised just $3,290. State Republicans aren't making the race a priority.

"I've raised as much money as I wanted to raise," Mulligan said.

Third District Democrats have sent out at least 20 mailers so far, some attacking Mulligan.

One portrays him as a large dog with a hefty serving of food as a small dog next to him stares forlornly at a meager helping of grub and says, "Michael Mulligan's plan: Huge helpings for the rich, scraps for seniors and middle-class families."

Laughing, Mulligan said everyone he knows "gives me a call now and starts barking."

In the far more competitive 14th District, in parts of Mercer and Middlesex Counties, Democratic Sen. Linda Greenstein is outpacing GOP opponent Richard Kanka.

Her campaign has raised $262,789, compared with Kanka's $215,294. "I have gotten a lot from public and private unions, and there's still more I think I'll be getting," Greenstein said.

She has considerable support from public unions, especially because she opposed the health and pension bill.

But throughout much of South Jersey, public-sector unions are mostly sitting out the fund-raising game.

Labor groups representing government employees declined to endorse any public official who voted for the bill to cut benefits, and the legislation was passed as Republicans got the crucial help of a minority of Democrats - nearly all from South Jersey.

Those unions consider candidates as diverse as Whelan, Polistina, and Conaway their foes.

Bob Master of the Communications Workers of America, which represents most state workers, said his union was making the maximum contribution to Greenstein and Democratic Sen. Bob Gordon, who is locked in another of the most competitive races - in Bergen County's 38th District.

Gordon has raised $487,178 so far.

The campaign of his Republican challenger, Bergen County Board of Freeholders Chairman John Driscoll, declined to release campaign-finance documents ahead of the state deadline.

The GOP is unlikely to gain control of the Legislature after a redistricting commission revised legislative boundaries to favor incumbent Democrats this year.

Just how much Christie's national conservative star power is helping Republicans to raise money for their state races remains to be seen. State party reports showing contributions during the governor's consideration of a presidential run and out-of-state political events are not yet public.

Still, Election Law Enforcement Commission reports are likely to show Republicans with an overall lead in fund-raising. The GOP has outpaced Democrats in raising money after Christie's election.

"Fund-raising is more difficult in a year where you have a Republican governor," said John Wisniewski, chairman of the state Democratic Party.

But he downplayed the fallout from the health and pension vote on Democratic fund-raising, noting that two-thirds of Democrats voted against the bill.

That measure "was one piece of legislation over a long history of Democrats and labor working together," Wisniewski said.