Road to the White House, 2016: Florida, Pennsylvania and Ohio

By Alan J. Steinberg

I have had a rather poor prediction record in this year’s presidential primaries, as I vastly underrated Donald Trump’s appeal.  I remain intrepid, however, so the following is my initial Electoral College 2016 projection.

In order to be elected president, a candidate must win states giving him or her a total of at least 270 electoral votes.  I believe that Donald Trump will carry all the states won by Mitt Romney in 2012, giving him a base of 206 electoral votes.

I classify seven of the states won by Barack Obama in 2012 as swing states in 2016.  These states are the three double digit electoral vote states of Florida (29 electoral votes), Ohio (18), and Pennsylvania (20), and the four single digit electoral vote states of New Hampshire (4), Iowa (6), Colorado (9), and Nevada (6), for a total of 92 electoral votes.  Hillary Clinton is likely to carry all the other states won by Obama in 2012, giving her a base of 240 electoral votes.

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Greg’s List: Things to do in Monmouth County this weekend, May 20-22, 2016

By Greg Kelly

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Friday, May 20

• Sea Bright Fireman’s Fair – MORE INFO
• The Midtown Men at Count Basie Theatre (Red Bank) – MORE INFO
• That’s the Spirit by Spotlight Players (Matawan) – MORE INFO
• The Midtown Men at Count Basie Theatre (Red Bank) – MORE INFO
• 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee at Algonquin Arts Theatre (Manasquan) – MORE INFO
• Paint the Town Pink ’16 Events – MORE INFO
• Crossing Delancey by Center Players (Freehold) – MORE INFO
• Villainous Company by NJ Repertory Company (Long Branch) – MORE INFO
• Radio Technology Museum Open at InfoAge (Wall Twp.) – MORE INFO
• Live Harness Racing at Freehold Raceway – MORE INFO
• Atlantic Cinemas Movie Night (Atlantic Highlands) – MORE INFO

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N.J. faces surprise revenue shortfall that Christie has 6 weeks to confront

TRENTON — State budget officials predict New Jersey will face a $487 million budget shortfall this year and $622 million shortfall next year due mostly to sluggish income tax collections. The nonpartisan Office of Legislative Services will present its estimates to the Assembly Budget Committee on Tuesday, and the Treasury Department will follow up later in… Read the rest of this entry »

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Rumson financier to head Trump-Republican fundraising committee

WASHINGTON — Veteran New Jersey Republican fundraiser and financier Lewis Eisenberg will lead a joint effort to bring in campaign funds for businessman Donald Trump’s presidential run, the Republican National Committee, and several state parties, including New Jersey. The Trump campaign and the RNC made the announcement Tuesday night. “Donald Trump knows the importance of keeping… Read the rest of this entry »

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Charge dismissed against supporter ticketed for flying Donald Trump flags

WEST LONG BRANCH –In what is being hailed as a victory for free speech, a municipal court judge dismissed charges Wednesday against a West Long Branch man flying flags in support of Donald Trump. With his own lawyer and an attorney from the American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey at his side, Joseph Hornick left… Read the rest of this entry »

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Christie’s approval ratings sink to stink

TRENTON — Another poll, another bad sign for Gov. Chris Christie’s standing among New Jersey residents. The governor’s approval rating slipped to another all-time low, according to a new Quinnipiac University Poll released Wednesday. The survey found 64 percent of voters disapprove of the job Christie is doing, compared to only 29 percent who approve. The… Read the rest of this entry »

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Christie nominates Judge Escandon for tenure

Judge Paul X. Escandon

Governor Chris Christie announced yesterday that he has nominated Monmouth County Superior Court Judge Paul X. Escandon for reappointment to the bench.  Should Escandon be be confirmed by the State Senate, he will be a tenured Judge eligible to serve until the mandatory retirement age of 70.

Escandon was appointed to the Superior Court in 2009 by Governor Jon Corzine.  His service on the bench became a matter of public controversy when Governor Chris Christie lent a sympathetic ear to Rachel Alintoff, whose divorce was being presided over by Escandon, during a Town Hall Meeting in Garfield, Bergen County, on May 2, 2012.  Alintoff complained to Christie that Escandon stripped her of her parental rights as a punishment for seeking an Order of Protection against her estranged husband in New York and that the Judge ordered her estranged husband, who she said makes over $500,000 per year on Wall Street, to provide only $1000 per month in support for her and her son.

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Monmouth GOP: Doherty is bought and paid for by out of county special interests

Republicans Sheriff Shaun Golden, Surrogate Rosemarie Peters, Freeholder Director Tom Arnone and Deputy Freeholder Director Serena DiMaso

The Monmouth County Republican Organization said that Belmar Mayor Matt Doherty, a candidate for the Democratic nomination for Freeholder in the June 7 primary, is bought and paid for by Trenton lobbyists, Wall Street executives and North Jersey political bosses “seeking to turn Monmouth County Government into their own Hudson County style patronage machine.”

In a press release distributed Monday afternoon, the Monmouth GOP organization said that Doherty’s latest campaign finance report indicates that over 60% of the $98,000 he disclosed the source of came from donors who reside outside of Monmouth County.

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Chelsea Clinton campaigns in Monmouth County, supports her mother

HAZLET — On the last day for residents in New Jersey to register to vote in the June 7 primary, Chelsea Clinton made two stops along the Jersey Shore to campaign on behalf of her mother, Hillary. At events in Long Branch and Hazlet, Chelsea Clinton touted her mother’s record as a “change-maker” and her ability… Read the rest of this entry »

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47 days, coincidences and counting

By Muriel J. Smith

Editor’s note: This article is the third in an exclusive series of Muriel’s inspiring and hopeful message after dealing with breast cancer

It was Dec. 18, a week before Christmas, I learned I had breast cancer. But it was little. The tumor couldn’t be felt by Dr. Mary Martucci, the surgical oncologist at Centra State Medical Center, who examined me. But it could be seen on the ultra sound. And confirmed by the biopsy. And it was located pretty well directly in the middle of my right breast.

On the other hand, I was at the Star & Barry Tobias Women’s Health Center at Freehold’s Centra State Medical Center where radiologist Dr. Kenneth Tomkovich was involved in a nation-wide trial procedure. I fit the criteria to participate in it. Even better, Dr. Martucci, the  surgeon who would have done the lumpectomy had I opted for that option, said that whichever I chose…surgery or the trial, cryoablation, would be ok. A surgeon who certainly put her patient first! And I was grateful.

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