Jeffrey Heller

In a strongly worded editorial, The (Bergen) Record endorsed blind Rabbi Dennis Shulman in his bid to unseat three-term GOP U.S. Rep. Scott Garrett.

"Scott Garrett is afraid. And he wants voters to be afraid. But the only thing voters should fear is Garrett's reelection to the House of Representatives," the editorial said. "The race in the 5th District is less about who is challenging Garrett and more about what Garrett is challenging. He is challenging the basic tenets of common decency. The high-minded, fiscal conservative has resorted to the lowest form of campaigning. In a post-Sept. 11 world, Garrett is shouting 'terrorist' in a crowded room. The congressman has been running television ads, in addition to sending out a direct-mail campaign piece, that link Shulman to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Garrett wants voters to believe that Shulman, a rabbi, would sell out Israel. It is beyond the pale."

Democrat Frank Lautenberg also won The Record's endorsement in his bid for a fifth term in the U.S. Senate. This is a pickup for Lautenberg: in 2002, The Record endorsed Ted Glick, the Green Party candidate. "Six years ago, we wrote that Frank Lautenberg did not 'have his good stuff' when he reentered politics to run for a fourth term in the U.S. Senate. Six years later, a clearly energized Lautenberg has the right stuff to serve six more years."

Three Republican freeholder candidates in Bergen County are crossing their fingers in the hopes that a federal investigation of payments to Dennis Oury, the former counsel for the Bergen County Democratic Organization, foreshadows the downfall of some top local Democrats.

In a statement today, Paul Duggan, Chris Calbrese and Jeffrey Heller assailed the county's Democratic leadership, with Duggan claiming that the "Democratic organization is at its core morally corrupt and possibly a criminal enterprise" and has been for years.

The Bergen County Committee bucked its screening committee’s recommendations tonight, voting to give Jeffrey Heller and Chris Calabrese the county line, along with Paul Duggan.