GOP CHIEF MICHAEL STEELE JOINS GOV HOPEFUL CHRISTOPHER CHRISTIE ON CAMPAIGN STOP IN PITMAN
Gloucester County Times | July 14, 2009

PITMAN Gloucester County took center stage in New Jersey's race for governor on Monday with a top national GOP figure coming to stump for Republican candidate Chris Christie.

Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele joined the gubernatorial hopeful in a campaign stop with more than 100 party faithful at the Main Street Financial Group building in Pitman. The party's national leader said he recognized the importance of this race and how it is one of only two elections for governor in the country this November.

"It's that important to New Jersey," said Steele. "It's even more important to our country. ... I will be back here helping you every step of the way."

Steele, the former lieutenant governor of Maryland, called on those in attendance to get behind their candidate.

"My being here has everything to do with you," Steele told the crowd. "You are the reason he will become the next governor of your state."

Christie thanked those who supported him in the June primary.

The former U.S. Attorney for New Jersey hammered home the fact that as of Monday, there were only 113 days until the general election.

"We as a Republican Party need to be united in our message," said Christie. "We know it is time for us to turn this around."

Christie stayed true to his message of vowing to make New Jersey affordable for all citizens. He noted that 350,000 residents have left the state in the past decade because of the rising taxes.

"I was born in this state and I was raised here," said Christie, a married father of four. "This is not the New Jersey I want to grow old in."

A small protest was staged across the street from Monday's event by members of Rowan University's Democrat club. Five students held anti-Christie signs, calling the Republican hopeful a "corrupt crusader."

The organization's president said she planned this event independent from any state organization.

"This is the first time he's been in the area," Rowan senior Sarah Jane Donofrio said of Christie. "I want to make sure he doesn't come back. ... Not everybody wants him here. Not everybody wants him in New Jersey."

New Jersey has become a priority for top national figures to come and lend a hand. President Barack Obama will be in the Garden State later this week to campaign with Gov. Jon Corzine.

Asked if Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, last year's Republican vice presidential candidate, could end up campaigning with Christie, Steele said, "Absolutely."

"We'll be ready for the governor to campaign across the country," said Steele.

Christie, however, was not as quick to support the idea.

"I want to keep this focused on Jon Corzine and his last four years," said Christie.

Knowing, however, that he will likely be outspent by his opponent, Christie did admit he will "take help from people who want to help."

This was not the first time Gloucester County has been the site of a campaign stop for a national figure. Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean stumped for the president during last year's election at a fund-raising event in Logan Township.

Newly-elected Gloucester County GOP Chairman Bill Fey called Steele's visit an "extraordinary" opportunity to discuss the grassroots effort of the Republican organization.

"You have your CEO showing up to see what's actually happening," said Fey, who had a private meeting with the national chairman before the event. "I think it's important that you have these key figures coming in, especially when the national spotlight is on New Jersey. ... It shows that somebody cares to come down and see what middle America is thinking."

GOP CHAIRMAN STOPS BY N.J. TO SUPPORT CHRISTIE
Philadelphia Inquirer | July 14, 2009

Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele said yesterday that his party would "prove once and for all" that it is not in decline if nominee Christopher J. Christie wins the New Jersey governor's race.

Sweeping through South Jersey with Christie, Steele spoke in Pitman and Vineland, two towns targeted by Republicans as swing areas.

Only New Jersey and Virginia have governor's races this year, the first year since Democratic President Obama was elected. The eyes of a Republican Party hungry for victory are on the Garden State.

With a Christie victory, "we will prove once and for all that all the hype about, 'The party's over for the GOP. And, the GOP, they're done. Stick a fork in them,' you can stop it right here in New Jersey by going out this fall and electing a team of leaders to show once and for all we're back and we're ready to lead," Steele told a cheering crowd in the backroom of Vineland's Larry's II restaurant.

Steele, a former Maryland lieutenant governor and the GOP's first African American chairman, also took shots at Democratic Gov. Corzine by highlighting this week's visit of Obama, who plans to attend a rally for the governor Thursday at the PNC Bank Arts Center in Holmdel.

"When the president comes here this week, I'm sure a lot of folks should ask the president: Do you support the tax increases? Do you support the bloated government? Do you support the way this state has been run? Do you support the candidate who figures, 'Well, I'll just buy it. I bought everything else'? Do you support that, Mr. President? Otherwise, why are you here and why are you coming in July and not October?" Steele asked.

Corzine suffered from low approval ratings until the final weeks of last year's presidential race – an event called the "Obama effect" by Monmouth University polling director Patrick Murray. In January, independent polls showed the governor's poor approval ratings had returned.

Corzine's "best hope is nationalizing the election and attaching himself to Obama, because, as we saw, that actually did help in the fall," said Murray.

He and other analysts say that with months to go in the race, the money the wealthy incumbent can spend to win in a state that hasn't liked a Republican for statewide office since 1997 should not be underestimated.

Steele promised to help Christie with fund-raising, telling supporters, "I can tell you, as national chair, just cross that off your worry list."

Because there are many more Democrats and independent voters than Republicans in New Jersey, Christie needs some of their support to win. This week, he appears to be fighting for their votes in traditional Democratic areas. Today he plans to travel to Camden, Trenton, and Plainfield to discuss his urban agenda.

He has been wooing urban parents by supporting school vouchers and saying that children in failing school districts could attend public schools in other districts that would accept them.

In Pitman, Steele and Christie were met by a handful of protesters who held up signs across the street from the office where Christie supporters held a small rally. One set of protesters was Democrats and the other was supporting positions held by Christie's former primary rival, Steve Lonegan.

STEELE STUMPS FOR CHRISTIE IN SOUTH JERSEY
PolitickerNJ.com | July 13, 2009

PITMAN - Republican National Chairman Michael Steele came to South Jersey today to campaign with GOP gubernatorial nominee Christopher Christie, calling him a politician who "plays across the state unlike any other Republican in the last 10 or 12 years."

"I am honored to be here today to represent Republicans around the country who knows just how important this race is - not just to New Jersey, but to the nation, because it is a bellwether in so many ways for the future of our party and the future of our nation," he said.

About 100 people showed up to see Christie, the former U.S. Attorney and Steele, a former Maryland lieutenant governor and U.S. Senate candidate, in front of the office of the Main Street Financial Group in this small Gloucester County town.  Afterwards, Christie, Steele and GOP State Chairman Jay Webber were off the Vineland for a meet and greet at a diner with the 1st Legislative District's Republican Assembly candidates.

The Pitman event had two distinct strains of campaign rhetoric.  Christie held to his argument that the gubernatorial race hinges only on New Jersey issues, resisting pitting himself against a Democratic president whose in-state approvals remain high. National Republicans like Steele, however, see the race as - in Steele's own words - a "bellwether."  There are only two gubernatorial races this year, and Republicans are hoping that victories here and in Virginia will cast them as a party on the mend.

Christie gave an abridged version of his usual stump speech, listing rankings that showed New Jersey with an unfriendly business climate and lamenting the loss of residents to neighboring states with lower tax rates.  Steele, however, noted that President Obama was coming on Thursday to campaign for Corzine.

"Welcome, Mr. President. But I want to know, since you have such a great rush to get out of Iraq, what is your rush to get out of GM? What is your plan to help us get control back of our companies," he said.  "And where is the Governor on this? Does the governor like this bailout nonsense?  Oh, I think he does.  Does he like that stimulus check?  How much of the stimulus check have you seen to create jobs in New Jersey?"

After the event, a reporter asked Christie about whether the campaign was a bellwether for the national political climate, and if accepting national Republican support was an acknowledgement of htat.

"When you're going to be outspent by as much as I'm going to be outspent by, by a governor who follows no rules when it comes to campaign finance, I'll take help from people who want to help me," he said.  " But that doesn't change the nature of what the campaign's going to be."

The national attention being paid to the race has led to questions about whether Christie will bring resigning Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin in to campaign for him.  In fact, that speculation was touched off by a statement Steele made immediately after Palin's resignation.

Despite Christie's repeated statements that he will not invite Palin into New Jersey, Steele held to his original point, saying that "we'll be ready for [Palin] to come out and campaign across the country certainly next year, but even this year, in Virginia, New Jersey, wherever we need to be."

Christie, standing next to Steele, immediately shot the idea down.

"I've said that I don't think that's something that should be necessary here in New Jersey. From my perspective, I want to keep this focused on exactly what it needs to be focused on, which is Jon Corzine and his failed record over the last four years as governor," he said.

GOP SEEKS DISTANCE FROM GLOUCO CANDIDATE
Philadelphia Inquirier | July 10, 2009

When Lee Lucas declared himself an Assembly candidate in the Republican primary race, many South Jersey party leaders cringed.

They tried to ignore him when he called poor people who have "too many children" inferior, and proposed drastic cuts in poverty and school programs to save the middle class from high taxes.

But then, after a nasty primary battle, the 51-year-old commercial oven repairman won the nomination for one of two Assembly seats in the Third District, which covers the lower reaches of the state.

It was the Gibbstown man's first victory after two earlier primary losses, and now he is a candidate his party can no longer ignore.

Gloucester County Republican Chairman Bill Fey last month called on Lucas to resign, saying his "hateful ideology" and "Darwinian nonsense" make him unfit for office. Lucas refused.

Now, Assembly Republican leader Alex DeCroce is taking the unusual step of asking Lucas to step down after learning of a police report that quotes Lucas using a racial slur.

"I am appalled and disgusted by the racist remarks attributed to Mr. Lucas. His attitude, behavior and statements are intolerable," DeCroce said in a statement. "If Mr. Lucas remains a candidate, he will receive zero assistance of any kind from the Assembly Republican Victory '09 campaign committee. His views have no place in our party, or anywhere in our society for that matter."

According to a police report, Lucas complained on Sept. 4, 2006, that his neighbors had trespassed onto his property and cut down part of a tree. The report also said Lucas lost his temper and used a racial slur as he told them, in front of their 6-year-old child, that if they wanted "to live like" minorities, they should move.

Lucas admitted the statement and using the slur, but said his speech is protected under the First Amendment when he is on his own property. He also said he believes it is not taboo for white people to use the slur among themselves and for black entertainers to use it to make a point, but said it is wrong to direct a racial slur against a black person in anger.

Gloucester County NAACP vice president Loretta Winters disagrees with his reasoning and says Lucas should exit the race.

"He's an unashamed racist," she said after reading the report. "He's obviously not going to be a good candidate for all the people because of the way he feels about certain groups of people. When he makes decisions or legislates, will he represent the poor, or the black constituents?"

Winters said racial slurs should never be used, because "they're harmful and degrading."

Lucas, a former Navy sailor who dropped out of college, says he won't give up the campaign.

"I'm a fighter and I like to fight, not physically, but for a just cause," he said, calling himself a champion of an overtaxed middle class. It's wrong, he said, for low-income people to have numerous children and expect the middle class to pay to raise them.

"I hate political correctness," he said.

He said his viewpoint was nurtured when he was denied tuition assistance at Rutgers University 23 years ago; he said he got no assistance because he is white.

"I couldn't afford it, and I had to go to work while someone else got their college paid for because of their color," he said.

Political experts say Lucas is the kind of fringe candidate a major party must control.

"In this day and age, it's pretty extreme" to blame poor people for draining the budget, said Julian E. Zelizer, a Princeton University public affairs professor and author. "When you have a strong extreme minority tied to your party, it's something you have to deal with."

Mark Duffy, executive director of the state Assembly Republican Victory '09 campaign, said party organizers inherited Lucas as one of their candidates after former Gloucester County Chairwoman Loran Oglesby recruited him.

"We preferred other candidates," he said.

Oglesby - who was voted out last month - put Lucas on the ballot as an endorsed candidate when she could not find anyone willing to run on her slate. The Gloucester County party had fractured into three factions, from hard right to moderate, and each won a few seats after an ugly primary campaign.

Previously, Oglesby declined to endorse Lucas when he approached her about running a few years ago for freeholder and for council in Greenwich Township, which includes Gibbstown. She did not return calls for comment.

Robert Villare, who is on the ballot with Lucas as a GOP Assembly candidate for the Third District, which covers parts of Gloucester, Cumberland, and Salem Counties, also ran under a cloud in the primary. Oglesby had endorsed him, while the state GOP and Fey's slate opposed him. They feared he had residency issues that could disqualify him for office.

Election rules call for a state candidate to have resided in New Jersey for at least two years, but Villare voted in Delaware last year.

In recent weeks, Villare, a heart surgeon, assured GOP leaders that he has long been a New Jersey resident and that he meets the requirements, Duffy said. Bill Winkler, Villare's campaign spokesman, said Villare used a provisional ballot to vote in Delaware when he was on call at a hospital there.

If changes are not made on the ballot, Lucas and Villare would oppose Democrats John J. Burzichelli and Celeste Riley in an area that has long been a Democratic stronghold.

"I have no comment," Burzichelli said of Lucas' viewpoints. "It's intraparty stuff and it's their issue at the moment."

The GOP is pushing hard to recapture the governor's seat with Christopher J. Christie as its candidate and also wants to take some state Assembly seats, which are all up for grabs this fall.

Duffy said he thinks Villare will be a viable candidate, willing to fight against government spending and high taxes. But he said he also wants Lucas to step aside and make room for "an honorable person" to run in his place.

GLOUCESTER COUNTY REPUBLICAN CHAIRMAN CALLS ON 3RD DISTRICT ASSEMBLY CANDIDATE LEE LUCAS TO DROP OUT OF RACE
Gloucester County Times | July 9, 2009

A Republican candidate for assembly in the 3rd District has been asked to drop out of the race by Gloucester County's GOP chairman because of "insensitive" comments.

The demand came Thursday when Chairman Bill Fey denounced the candidacy of Gibbstown resident Lee Lucas.

"His insensitive remarks about the poor and single mothers will not be tolerated by our party and I am again asking that Mr. Lucas drop out of the race immediately before he causes any more embarrassment to himself, his family and our country," Fey said. "We cannot and will not tolerate that kind of behavior in any segment of our party."

The Republican chairman cited several recent letters to the editor written by Lucas where the candidate referred to some as "hopeless" and not deserving of government assistance if they keep having babies.

Fey also questioned a 2006 Greenwich Township police report obtained by the Times that accused Lucas of yelling a racial epithet at his neighbors during a confrontation.

Lucas, who was not charged, denied ever using a racial slur that day. When contacted on Thursday, Lucas said the neighbors were not minorities.

"I could never dislike or hate anybody because of the way that God made them," said Lucas.

The candidate vowed to continue running for office.

"I'm not going to drop out, not even close," said Lucas. "They are making me a little mad and it makes me want to fight more."

Lucas and West Deptford resident Robert Villare were victorious in the Republican primary last month. They are set to challenge incumbents Assemblyman John Burzichelli and Assemblywoman Celeste Riley.

GLOUCESTER COUNTY REPUBLICANS AGAIN CALL ON LUCAS TO DROP OUT
PolitickerNJ.com | July 9, 2009

*Update: the racial epithet a 2006 Greenwich Township police report says Lucas yelled at a neighbor accounts for the "aditional information."

Gloucester County Republicans are trying to force 3rd District Assembly candidate Lee Lucas from the race over his controversial statements.

Newly elected Gloucester County Republican Chairman Bill Fey, citing “additional information” he’s learned about Lucas, put out a statement today reiterating his call for him to drop out.

Fey said that all of the county’s Republican leadership is joining him in the call.  

“I do understand it is an unusual step to ask a member of your own party to drop out of a race but Mr. Lucas presents an unusual set of circumstances,” said Fey. “His shameful statements were enough for our entire leadership team to call on Lucas to drop out of this race. Additional information has recently been brought to my attention that makes it impossible for us to support Mr. Lucas being anywhere on the ballot under any party’s banner.”

Lucas squeaked out an upset victory in the June 2nd primary, in which he was bracketed with Robert Villare against establishment-backed Arthur Marchand and George Shivery.   

Fey called for Lucas to drop out of the race in a letter to the Gloucester County Times last month, in which he mentioned that several of his political allies had done so before the primary.

FEY SEEKS TO REBUILD GLOUCESTER GOP
PolitickerNJ.com | July 6, 2009

One month into his term as Gloucester County Republican Chairman, Bill Fey is rebuilding the party almost from scratch - both literally and figuratively.

He and other party activists are repainting the walls in the party's Woodbury headquarters, cleaning it and working with the landlord to get some basic repairs done.  They're installing a new phone system and adding six new computers.

Fey has also commissioned an audit to make sure "the books are straight and ready to roll," expanding the party's leadership to include three executive directors, and scheduled the party's first fundraiser since the leadership transition.  Currently, the party has "a couple thousand" dollars on hand.

Fey took over the party last month after a drawn out fight with two-term former Chairwoman Loran Oglesby, which started after the 2008 freeholder candidates complained about a lack of assistance from the county party.  His task now is to bring it back to relevance after a 12 year spell of failing to win a county-wide office.

Aside from his own county-wide candidates, Fey has met with the state's Republican leadership and some fellow South Jersey Republican chairmen, two of whom are also new to the job: Michael Facemyer in Salem County and Bob Greco in Cumberland County.

"We're learning, talking and communicating with each other more than has ever done before," said Fey.

But there's one issue Fey said he hasn't had to deal with: reuniting a party after a leadership spat that lasted half a year.

When Fey took the helm of the party, calls for unity were overshadowed by  Oglesby's scathing statement that criticized the new chairman not supporting her post-defeat bid for vice-chair - a gesture she said demonstrated that Fey had "demonstrated no interest in generating party unity."

But Fey said that one of the few issue he has not had to deal with is a divided party.

"I'm pleasantly surprised with the amount of enthusiasm," said Fey.  "I thought there would be more work involved in getting everyone on board, on line and ready to go.  But I have to tell you, that's not the case."

The problems with the party Fey inherited did not begin during Oglesby's time at the helm.  It has not won a county-wide election in 12 years, and has increasingly lost ground to Democrats on an even more local level.  Fey, the former Republican chairman of Franklin Township - one of the county's six Republican-controlled towns - said that his priority will be working with municipal candidates.

"This year the freeholder candidates and the sheriff candidate are going to - I don't want to say run an independent campaign, that's not the case - but they want to raise their own money and basically do the advertising themselves. We're going to support them logistically, with ID support, guidance and counsel," said Fey.  "We're going to focus on local towns -- if we're invited in."

Freeholder candidate Ron Brittin, who along with his running mate Matthew Burns and sheriff candidate Chris Marrero won the primary after running on a slate that was not aligned with Fey or Oglesby, said that he's happy with the way the fledgling leadership has run the organization so far.

"The communication has been open... I think it's important county-wide that the help is there for the municipalities," he said.  [Fey has] a tremendous job in front of him to try to make something out of nothing, and that's what it amounts to at this point."

GCREC CHAIRMAN FEY ANNOUNCES EXECUTIVE TEAM

For immediate release: July 23, 2009

Woodbury, NJ (July 23, 2009) - Gloucester County Republican Executive Committee (GCREC) Chairman Bill Fey announced his executive team today. Chairman Fey kept his promise to follow the organization's rules by appointing every executive director the Constitution and By-Laws call for.

While the Constitution and By-Laws call for executive directors of Finance, Party Organization and Executive Committee, and Publicity and Campaigns Chairman Fey has also created the positions of Director of Senior Citizen Affairs, Director of Information Technology and Liaison to the Young Republican Organization. Each of the executive directors has appointed a team to work with them.

Chairman Fey said, "Our new leadership team will help turn the Gloucester County Republican Party into a sustainable, competitive organization."

"Every person on our team brings their own personal strengths, abilities and experiences to the table," Chairman Fey stated. "I am proud to have such a diverse, talented and dedicated group joining me in our grassroots effort to rejuvenate the Gloucester County Republican Party."

Mark Shoemaker - GCREC Lead Counsel (East Greenwich) 

Mark Shoemaker is a founding member of Ward Shoemaker, LLC, a general practice Law Firm located in Woodbury.  He is the immediate Past President of the Gloucester County Bar Association and has an active practice in both State and Federal Courts.  In addition to his private practice, Mr. Shoemaker has devoted a significant amount of time to Republican efforts in Gloucester County, including the only fully litigated election contest in recent memory. 

Jeff Sanders - GCREC Executive Director Finance (Pitman)

Jeff is a current Councilman in Pitman.   He has been in Outside Sales for the last 17 years, and has been in the IT industry since 2001. Jeff has a degree in Arts & Sciences with concentration in Communications & Sociology. He and his wife Althea, reside in Pitman with their three children.   He is very excited to join the new team at the County, and looks forward to the chance to develop a stronger Republican base across the County.

Bill Gilson - GCREC Director of Senior Citizen Affairs (Monroe)

Bill is a licensed New Jersey lawyer for 24 years with a practice limited to estate, tax, and business planning. Bill has been a teacher at Cumberland County College in the areas of Administration of Estates and also the Mechanics of Real Estate transactions for 21 years. Bill has been a guest lecturer/speaker for approximately 50 civic, social, and religious organizations in Cumberland, Gloucester and Salem counties. Bill received his Juris Doctor. Bill has also spoken on issues involving elder law and common mistakes made by the unwary in estate planning. Bill has worked for the same firm for 24 years and is the managing partner now of Lipman, Antonelli, Batt, Gilson, Malestein, Rothman & Capasso P.C. of Vineland New Jersey.

Allen Louie - GCREC Director Information technology (Glassboro)

Allen is currently a Senior Manager of Information Security at a fortune 500 company located in Philadelphia for the past 10 years and has worked in the IT field specializing in new and emerging technologies for over 15 years. He has a Finance degree specializing in Information Systems and has worked in a State Regulatory Commission as an Analyst and in an Auditor role for over 10 years. He is also a member of the Philadelphia Infra-guard chapter sponsored by the FBI for the past 5 years.

Jeff Morris - GCREC Executive Director of Party Organization and Executive Committee (Washington Township)

Jeff is the founder and President of Morris Graphics Inc., a Commercial Printing and Direct Mail company in Woodbury, NJ. He has a long history of civic involvement including over 20 years with Kiwanis serving as Treasurer, Club President and Lt. Governor, youth baseball coach and Commissioner, Eucharistic Minister at his church, various Chambers of Commerce, and Board member of the American Heart Association. Morris is a 25 year resident of Washington Township, and serves as the Chairman of the Washington Township Republican Party. Morris has also served on the statewide steering committee for Mitt Romney for President, and currently serves as Gloucester County Grassroots co-coordinator for Chris Christie for governor.

Randy Ford - GCREC Liaison to the Young Republican Organization (West Deptford)

Randy is a lifelong county resident and recently relocated to West Deptford from Monroe. Randy graduated cum laude from Rutgers University with a Political Science Degree and will be entering his final year of Law School at Rutgers Camden this fall.  While at Rutgers, Randy was founding Chairman of the Rutgers Camden College Republicans.  Randy has worked for the US Attorney's Office and private practice attorneys. He has been a member of County Committee for the last four years and is President of the Monroe Township Republican Club.  Recently, Randy was named Chairman of the Gloucester County Young Republicans, a group he spearheaded.

David Ferrucci -GCREC Executive Director Publicity and Campaigns (Franklin)

Dave is a lifelong resident of Franklin Township, Dave previously served 15 years on the Franklin Township Committee, 11 of them as Mayor. He has extensive experience in all aspects of local government and has successfully directed numerous local campaigns. Dave will be assisting Gloucester County's Republican municipal candidates with policy background, issue development, campaign strategy and tactics, fund raising and strategic voter identification. He has worked on the campaigns of Rudy Giuliani and John McCain and is currently the co-coordinator in Gloucester County for Chris Christie. Dave earned a bachelor's degree in agriculture from the University of Delaware and is vice president of Ferrucci Nurseries, he resides in the Piney Hollow section of Franklin with his wife Carolyn, a Delsea Regional School District employee and sons Frank, 25 and David, 22. 

GLOUCESTER COUNTY GOP CHAIRMAN BILL FEY RENEWS CALL FOR LEE LUCAS TO DROP OUT OF ASSEMBLY RACE

Gloucester County Republican Executive Committee will not support Lucas Candidacy

For immediate release: July 9, 2009

Woodbury, NJ (July 9, 2009) - Gloucester County Republican Executive Committee (GCREC) Chairman Bill Fey called on Third District Assembly candidate Lee Lucas to drop out of the race again today.

Chairman Fey pointed out in a June 20, 2009 letter to the editor of The Gloucester County Times that members of his leadership team called on Lee Lucas to get out of the Assembly race three times prior to the Primary Election. One of these letters asked that former GCREC Chairwoman Loran Oglesby renounce Lucas and that she withdraw her endorsement of his candidacy, she refused and sent a letter to the editor asking voters to support Lucas. Another letter denounced Lucas and Oglesby, but Lucas remains on the ballot.

"Our leadership team has called on Lucas to drop out of the race, I have met with him and explained that the Gloucester County Republican Executive Committee will not support his candidacy and asked him to drop out of the race," Chairman Fey said. "His insensitive remarks about the poor and single mothers will not be tolerated by our Party and I am again asking that Mr. Lucas drop out of the race immediately before he causes any more embarrassment to himself, his family and our county."

"I do understand it is an unusual step to ask a member of your own party to drop out of a race but Mr. Lucas presents an unusual set of circumstances," Fey continued. "His shameful statements were enough for our entire leadership team to call on Lucas to drop out of this race. Additional information has recently been brought to my attention that makes it impossible for us to support Mr. Lucas being anywhere on the ballot under any party's banner."

"I hope the Gloucester County Democratic Party might put politics aside for a moment and join us in our effort to save Gloucester County further embarrassment and call for Mr. Lucas to get out of this race," Fey said.