Ciattarelli's GOP chair choice

Politico

2 days ago

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Good Monday morning!
Nothing's official yet, including the Republican nominee for governor, but it's looking like the New Jersey State Republican Party will soon be run by Glenn Paulsen.
Ciattarelli late last week indicated to Republican leaders that Paulsen will likely be his choice to run the party if he wins the nomination in June, which looks likely. Party nominees traditionally get to pick the state chair until at least November, though it hasn't always happened that way.
Paulsen is a 14-year former Burlington County GOP chair, back when that county, now quite Democratic, was a bastion of Republicanism. He was often called a 'boss,' and he maintained a strong GOP organization along with his protege, the late Bill Layton, but looking back, the Democratic tide of South Jersey suburban Philadelphia seemed inevitable.
Another Paulsen mentee, Eric Arpert, is running Ciattarelli's campaign. And Ciattarelli strategist Chris Russell also goes way back with him. Paulsen also played a big role in launching the political career of former state senator and Ciattarelli 2021 lieutenant governor running mate Diane Allen, before they became political enemies.
But over the last 20 years or so, Paulsen has largely been out of the spotlight while remaining a behind-the-scenes player. He's make the news occasionally, like when his former law firm Capehart & Scatchard was New Jersey's special counsel to the DRPA. In 2019, he joined the firm Malamut and Associates, which the Burlington County Times noted had strong ties to Burlington County Democrats. But that association ended suddenly during a recent controversy over the leadership of Rowan College at Burlington County, when Paulsen said another employee of the firm told him he was done 'without any explanation, any previous negative employment evaluations or any other explanation.'
But as likely as Paulsen looks, Ciattarelli isn't expected to make the choice formal until after the primary, and then it will have to be ratified by the the committee members. I'm told there's no bad blood between Ciattarelli and current GOP Chair Bob Hugin, whom Ciattarelli first named chair four years ago. Other names I've heard floated for the role include Cape May GOP Chair Michael Donohue, Middletown Mayor Tony Perry, Monmouth County Clerk Christine Hanlon and Hunterdon GOP Chair Gabe Plumer.
Ciattarelli's chief primary rival, Bill Spadea, responded to the news by saying the pick shows Ciattarelli is a 'slave to the Trenton crowd' and calling Paulsen 'an entrenched political insider who has made his entire career off of taxpayer dollars.'
'I didn't think that Jack's newest choice for chair could be worse than his guy who drove NJGOP into the ditch for the last four years, but he's surprised me again.'
Spadea is backed by Ocean County GOP Chair George Gilmore, one of the most powerful Republican insiders in New Jersey. I asked his campaign if he would consider Gilmore for GOP state chair if he wins the position, but his campaign manager Tom Bonfonti told me he doesn't have a shortlist right now because 'our only focus is on the voters and winning this primary.'
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