Tom Wilson

Saul Anuzis has two of New Jersey's three votes in his bid to become the Republican National Chairman. He is the Michigan GOP State Chairman.

Republican National Commiteewoman Virginia Haines plans to vote for Saul Anuzis, The Michigan State Republican Chairman, to lead the Republican National Committee.

“I just think he’s someone who has always been on top of the issues, he’s always kept the committee people abreast – I’m not saying that the present chairman didn’t, don't get me wrong,” said Haines. “

Haines joins New Jersey Republican Chairman Tom Wilson in supporting Anuzis for the post – giving two of New Jersey’s three votes to him. Republican National Committeeman David Norcross, however, said that it’s “very premature” to decide who he wants to lead the party.

N.J. GOP State Chairman Tom Wilson is backing Saul Anuzis, the Michigan GOP State Chairman, for Republican National Chairman.

Michigan Republican State Chairman Saul Anuzis announced the suport of five state GOP chairs this week, including New Jersey's Tom Wilson, in his bid for Republican National Chairman.  The incumbent, Mike Duncan, has not yet said if he will seek re-election to a second term.  Other candidates include: former Maryland Lt. Gov. Michael Steele, White House OMB Director Jim Nussle, a former Iowa Congressman; Florida GOP State Chairman Jim Greer; and Chip Saltsman, who managed Mike Huckabee's presidential campaign

Joining Wilson in his support of Anuzis are the Republican State Chairmen from Connecticut, Nebraska, Nevada and the Virgin Islands.

Democrats think today's Quinnipiac gubernatorial poll indicates that Gov. Jon Corzine is well on his way to being understood and embraced by the electorate after making several unpopular and tough, but necessary decisions.

Republicans see the poll as demonstrating lackluster support for the Corzine, considering he's spent a combined $100 million on his two previous statewide races, and early enthusiasm for U.S. Attorney Chris Christie's potential candidacy among those who have heard of him.

Meanwhile, non-partisan political analysts see the poll as a wash, with promising and troubling results for both Corzine and U.S. Attorney Christopher Christie, who is viewed as a likely gubernatorial candidate.

Corzine leads Christie in the poll, 42% to 36%, although only 37% of voters think Corzine deserves to be reelected and his approval rating remains net negative. Christie remains a relative unknown, with only 30% of respondents knowing enough about him to form an opinion.

Assemblyman Joseph Cryan (D-Union), the Democratic State Chairman, said that's the number that caught his attention. Despite dozens of positive front page headlines about his indictments and convictions of prominent public officials since he was sworn in, 70% of voters still barely know anything about him.

On top of that, although Corzine still has a net negative approval rating, he's improved significantly since the last Quinnipiac poll in September.

In a statement issued Wednesday morning, GOP gubernatorial candidate Assemblyman Richard A. Merkt (R-Mendham) called on Republican State Committee Chairman Tom Wilson to resign his post immediately “in the best interests of the party.”

“After years of failure, it is time for the New Jersey State GOP to change horses and look to new leadership if it wants to succeed in 2009,” said Merkt. “Wilson has overseen a series of dismal state campaigns, reducing the Republican party to essential irrelevance in New Jersey state politics.”

 Merkt called Wilson’s handling of the U.S. Senate Primary a “fiasco,” in which the establishment juggled one candidate after another before running with former U.S. Rep. Dick Zimmer, and getting soundly beaten by U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-Cliffside Park).  In particular, the party’s selection of political neophyte and food heir Andy Unanue, whose short-lived candidacy dissolved in jarring headlines about his party boy past, galled Merkt.

Republican political consultant George Dredden acknowledged today that he would serve as Republican State Chairman if asked. 

“The position is not vacant. It’s Tom Wilson’s,” he said. 

There is, however, a good chance that Wilson won’t stick around after the primary election to seek another term.  That would leave it up to the Republican gubernatorial nominee to decide who he wants to run the state party. 

“However, if the party would want me to serve, I would serve in any capacity that the party would like for me.  If they would choose for me to be involved in that regard, I would almost certainly do it,” said Dredden.

Republican operative Mark Duffy took his name out of the running for Republican State Chairman today.

“I prefer to work on the frontlines of the campaign, and I have no desire for an elected position in the party,” said Duffy, 34, who managed former Rep. Dick Zimmer’s U.S. Senate run against incumbent Frank Lautenberg (D-Cliffside Park). 

Duffy’s name surfaced as a potential successor to current chair Tom Wilson, who may not seek another two year term.  But he said he hadn’t been told of the speculation. 

“It was news to me,” he said.

State Sen. Joe Pennacchio’s (R-Montville) call for Republican State Chairman Tom Wilson to resign will not likely be answered in the affirmative, but whether Wilson will serve another two-year term is uncertain.

After Wilson’s term expires in June, tradition dictates that the Republican gubernatorial nominee gets to pick the next chairman. That choice will be ratified by the 42-member Republican State Committee, which will likely accede to the nominee’s pick.

“We have a tradition in the Republican Party that the successful gubernatorial nominee is the one who gets to decide who his or her state chair will be,” said Wilson, who said he did not want to respond to Pennacchio’s press release. “I expect that not to be any different. If there’s a nominee who wants to ask me if I’m interested in staying, that will be a discussion between that nominee and I.”

However, multiple Republican sources say that Wilson has never intended to seek another term as state chairman. In fact, there was talk of him stepping down before the primary, although he said today that he will serve until at least June.

Wilson, for his part, said that his decision in June will depend on “who that nominee is and what kind of vision they have going forward.”

"I will defer completely to the nominee, and if that person wants someone different that’s what they’re entitled to. If they want me to stick around for some period of time, we’ll have a discussion about that.”

Conservative activist Steve Lonegan will announce his decision on whether or not he’s going to run for governor on December 1st.

“It’s going to be a blast,” said Lonegan, the former mayor of Bogota. “I’m looking forward to it. There’s a potential for a really good primary here.”

That date coincides with U.S. Attorney Chris Christie’s resignation from office, which he announced today.  Christie is the Republican establishment’s favorite to run for Governor.  But Lonegan said the timing was a coincidence.

State Sen. Joe Pennacchio (R-Montville)

Citing the need for the state party to follow the national party’s lead and start renewing itself, state Sen. Joe Pennacchio (R-Montville) today called on Republican State Chairman Tom Wilson to resign.

“Soon we will have a new spokesperson leading our RNC. It is imperative that New Jersey Republicans waste no time in following suit,” he said in a press release this morning. “Our recent overwhelming losses reinforce the urgent need to change leadership and create a new direction with a purpose and direction for our party.”

Pennacchio, a dentist by trade, has been publicly critical of his party’s leadership ever since they refused to back his U.S. senate bid, instead running through a series of potential choices before settling on Goya heir Andy Unanue and ultimately former Rep. Dick Zimmer. Pennacchio has publicly seethed about the perceived slight, giving up his delegate spot at the Republican National Convention because he didn’t want to “party with the party leaders” who he felt pushed him aside. But up to this point Pennacchio has kept his criticism vague, refusing to single anyone out by name.

"One can argue that Mr. Wilson has put forth his best effort. I disagree. Regardless, it is not efforts but results that we must hold our State Chairman to,” said Pennacchio “Continued losses over his tenure and lack of a unified message of purpose and direction leads to the reasonable conclusion that immediate leadership change is warranted and necessary."