Despite losing to perennial candidate Steve Lonegan in the Republican United States Senate primary on August 13, first-time candidate Dr. Alieta Eck garnered 21% of the vote. With virtually no statewide name recognition and a paltry campaign war chest, Alieta received nearly 30,000 votes.
The story no one is writing about, however, is that the final Quinnipiac poll had Lonegan leading Alieta’s 72% to 10%, with 18% undecided. With the final result Lonegan 79% and Eck 21% means that Alieta won the majority of the undecided voters. Thus, it appears that the Lonegan campaign’s infamous tweet was giving Alieta a lot of traction in the waning days of the campaign. If the campaign lasted a few more days or even a week longer, the result would’ve been much closer.
Nevertheless, Lonegan has his work cut out for him going up against super celebrity Newark Mayor Cory Booker. Lonegan will need more than bluster to win the election on October 16. He needs to make the case that the welfare-warfare state is undermining the American people’s prosperity and liberties. That means he needs to come up with a coherent plan to cut federal spending and taxes, challenge the Federal Reserve’s money printing policies, support ending America’s role as a policeman of the world and be a champion of civil liberties.
There are reports that Lonegan wants Dr. Eck to be his health care advisor. For someone who wanted to get Dr. Eck off the ballot by challenging her petitions, that is some turnaround of events. If Lonegan wants to cut into Booker’s rock star status, he should go into Newark, Jersey City, and Paterson with Dr. Eck and promote her signature issue–how nonprofits can deliver health care to the poor without taxpayer dollars. Lonegan should also call upon the people of New Jersey to create these healthcare centers in low-income areas using local resources and volunteers.
Every election is an opportunity for Republicans to make the case for liberty and free enterprise. Unfortunately, Republicans tend to campaign like libertarians on many occasions but once in office govern like Democrats.
We know the Democrats are hopeless collectivists who believe in trickle down (fallacious) economics – federal spending to create prosperity and high taxes to loot the taxpayers. Needless to say, Booker falls into this category hook, line and sinker. Lonegan, on the other hand, needs to show his commitment for a smaller– much smaller– federal government at home and abroad. Otherwise, he will just be another footnote to the long list of Republicans who have failed to win a U.S. Senate seat in New Jersey for four decades.