Leonard Lance

Kate Whitman’s controversial attack ad against rival Leonard Lance has drawn the ire of the Congressman they’re both hoping to replace.

Seventh district Rep. Mike Ferguson, who’s retiring after he serves out his current term, has remained neutral despite the crowded field of candidates vying to replace him. But yesterday he told the Bridgewater Courier-News that a recent cable television ad from the Whitman campaign was particularly outlandish.

The ad argues that, during Lance’s time in Trenton, spending and property taxes have increased.

“I was very disappointed to see Kate’s ad, because it’s false, it’s misleading, it’s a complete distortion of Senator Lance’s record,” Ferguson told the newspaper.

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           Courier News

Ferguson rips Whitman ad

As PolitickerNJ.com begins a subjective tournament to choose New Jersey's Smartest Legislator, state Sen. Leonard Lance could be the early front runner. Lance has faced some criticism from members of his own party for being more of a statesman than a politician, but several statehouse watchers and former legislators say he may be one of the brightest people in Trenton.

"Leonard Lance is the one guy who sits in the legislature today that could have sat in the Senate in the late 1960's and early 1970's," said lobbyist/public relations executive Alan Marcus, who served as Clerk of the General Assembly in 1969, at age 21. "Leonard is a throwback to that era of the noblesse oblige, of quiet brilliance -- of people who don't speak on every issue, but who become conversant on every issue."

Lance isn't the only name that comes up in discussions about smart legislators. In the Senate, the most repeated names were Raymond Lesniak, Nia Gill, Kevin O'Toole, Bill Baroni, John Adler, Dick Codey, and Barbara Buono.

In the Assembly, Joe Roberts, Michael Patrick Carroll, Joe Malone, David Russo, and John Wisniewski were frequently mentioned as among the brainiest.

Thomas RoughneenAn administrative law judge today ruled that Thomas Roughneen’s petitions are in good order, and told the 7th Congressional District candidate he could continue to compete in the Republican primary.

Emilio Dabul of South Plainfield had challenged 79 of Roughneen’s 273 petitions but did not attend court in Elizabeth today, according to Roughneen. Yesterday Dabul would not say if any of the candidates had asked him to challenge Roughneen’s petitions.

Former Summit Councilwoman Kelly Hatfield and Scotch Plains Mayor Martin Marks said they had nothing to do with the petitions challenge.

At a press conference in Somerville, Republican leaders today denounced Kate Whitman’s negative attack ad as “dishonest” “outrageous” “desperate” and a “new low”. 

Sen. Leonard Lance (R-Hunterdon) in Somerville on Wednesday. 

SOMERVILLE - Some Republicans at the outset complained that the 7th Congressional District GOP primary had the makings of a croquet contest between two patrician family names.

But in the case of the Lances versus the Whitmans, it just got very ugly.

Sen. Leonard Lance (R-Hunterdon) and his allies today repudiated a bludgeoning television attack launched against the veteran state senator this week on FOX television by rival Kate Whitman. In the ad, the Whitman campaign contends that Lance, a former senate minority leader, "had his chance" and "failed."

Three of the four top contenders for the Republican nomination for Congress in the seventh district have made substantial contributions to their campaigns.  State Sen. Leonard Lance has loaned $100,000 to his House campaign – nearly one-third of the $294,130 he has raised so far.  Former Summit Council President Kelly Hatfield, who has the organization line in Union County, loaned her campaign $55,813 – more than half of the $106,293 she’s brought in so far.  Scotch Plains Mayor Martin Marks has raised $123,340 – which includes a $75,000 personal loan.  Kate Whitman has raised $434,283, which includes a personal contribution (not a loan – that means she can’t get it back) of $4,600.