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Senate candidate to release tax returns
May 8- Challenged by her opponent in last year's state Senate race to release her income tax returns, Diane Allen dismissed the idea with scorn, calling it a "political gimmick."
"It's petty politics, plain and simple," she said in July, refusing to make her returns public.
But campaigns go and campaigns come, and this year, Allen, a Burlington County Republican, is promising to release her last three federal tax returns. She also is calling on her opponents in the GOP primary for U.S. Senate to release theirs. Both have declined to do so.
So what changed her mind about disclosing her income tax returns?
Nothing, Allen said.
Last year, she ran in a state election for a part-time legislative post, she said, but this year, she is in pursuit of a national office -- a far more important, full-time job.
She said, too, that because business executive Doug Forrester is self-financing his campaign, voters should know how he earned his millions.
Besides, she added, openness is particularly important this year. The incumbent, Sen. Robert Torricelli (D-N.J.), faces a Senate ethics inquiry into his fund-raising during his 1996 run. And Essex County Executive James Treffinger dropped out of the GOP primary after federal agents targeted him in a corruption probe last month.
"Ethics and being open and honest have really taken center stage in this race -- with what Mr. Torricelli has done in the past. There's an ethical cloud around him when it comes to fund-raising," Allen said.
Torricelli spokesman Ken Snyder said his candidate has released tax returns since his election in 1996.
(<-Left- House of Rep. candidate Ric Medrow)
"We're simply not going to be lectured by a second-rate candidate," he said.
Forrester, president of a medical services company, responded to Allen yesterday by issuing a news release with two Allen quotes from last year when she refused to make her returns public. The release was titled "RES IPSA LOQUITUR" -- Latin for, "the thing speaks for itself."
He said voters will learn all they need to know from his financial disclosure form, which must be filed this month. The other candidate in the race, state Sen. John Matheussen (R-Gloucester), a lawyer, said he has released his state disclosure forms for a decade.
Allen yesterday released the financial disclosure form she is required as a candidate to file with the U.S. Senate. She reported taking a salary of ,669 as president and chief executive officer of VidComm Inc., a Burlington County video production company. Her husband earned an undisclosed salary from Universal Motor Distributors, a Philadelphia-based motor dealer, according to the report. Allen also listed a host of investment holdings.
She said she plans to release her income taxes as soon as she assembles them.
Releasing income tax returns has become something of a tradition for statewide candidates.
But some political strategists aren't sure the approach works. Two recent candidates -- former U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg in 1994 and U.S. Sen. Jon Corzine in 2000 -- rebuffed the cries for disclosure and won anyway.
Candidates like raising the issue because it opens their opponents to vague questions about honesty. When he ran against Lautenberg in 1994, former Republican Assembly Speaker Garabed "Chuck" Haytaian asked, "What's he hiding?" Haytaian lost anyway.
"I don't think it affected one vote," he says now. "People don't care."
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Three GOP Senate candidates face off
May 7-As the Republican U.S. Senate race hit prime-time TV last night, state Sen. Diane Allen and business executive Doug Forrester clashed over raising taxes and releasing tax returns, while state Sen. John Matheussen insisted he's no also-ran.
Allen pledged to make her tax returns public and called on her rivals to do the same. Forrester, a self-financed candidate, defended his record and his campaign spending while calling for tax cuts and sharply criticizing the state senators for voting on "billions of dollars in debt and additional spending."
Matheussen answered those who say his poor fund-raising make him a long shot: "I have to tell you this, money isn't everything. I'm right there in the polls."
With four weeks left before the June 4 primary for the nomination to face incumbent U.S. Sen. Robert Torricelli (D-N.J.), the campaigns so far have been waged in mailings and meet-and-greet sessions, with just a smattering of cable TV and radio ads.
All three candidates so far have focused their public efforts on attacking Torricelli. Republicans have not won a U.S. Senate race in New Jersey in 30 years, but believe the well-financed incumbent is beatable because of the investigations and ethics questions that have dogged him since he won his first term six years ago. But last night's debate, in front of a live audience at New Jersey Network's Trenton studios, was the first time the three Republicans faced off against each another in a statewide forum -- and they mostly took on each other, not Torricelli. Allen told voters, "I'm angry about Bob Torricelli," but the other two did not directly attack the senator. Opening statements had barely begun when Allen (R-Burlington) demanded that her opponents release their income tax returns. It was a move aimed primarily at Forrester, who made millions as the president of a medical benefits company and has poured more than million into his campaign. "You need to know where our money is coming from," said Allen, who said she is releasing her returns this week. "Ethics has become a very important issue in this campaign," she added later.
Forrester said he would not release his tax returns, and instead will file the simple financial disclosure form required by the Senate. Those forms, he said, record "the kinds of things the public needs to know to ensure there's integrity in the process." After the debate, he called Allen's demand "a red herring." Matheussen (R-Gloucester), for his part, says he has filed state legislative disclosures for more than a decade and sees no reason to release his tax returns. Many candidates for statewide office in New Jersey routinely release their tax returns, as Gov. James E. McGreevey did last month. Allen is relying on a tactic the GOP used in 2000 against U.S. Sen. Jon Corzine, the former Goldman, Sachs chairman who also self-financed his Senate run. At one point, Allen even compared Forrester to Corzine, recounting a voter's worried remark that there would be "two senators in New Jersey who have purchased their seats." That put Forrester in the awkward position of having to defend a liberal Democrat he said he did not support. "It is inappropriate to make the implication that Sen. Corzine purchased his seat," Forrester said. "It is an implication that somehow the people who voted for him are fools. I have to put my money where my mouth is." After the debate, he called Allen's remark "a slur." Forrester made a point of saying he earned a scholarship to Harvard University and built his business, adding that "now I want to give something back." Forrester, a West Windsor councilman and mayor from 1980 to 1983, had never before faced a statewide TV debate. His staff spent weeks working with the sometimes stiff Forrester on his delivery. He played what his campaign manager, Bill Pascoe, called "verbal pepper" last week to prepare for last night's encounter with Matheussen, a lawyer, and Allen, a former TV news anchor in Philadelphia.
Forrester and Allen have battled for the front-runner's title since late last month, when Essex County Executive Jim Treffinger dropped out amid a federal probe. Forrester has given himself a major financial edge by pouring in his own money and spending it on a blizzard of glossy mailings to Republicans. Allen points to early polls showing her running a bit ahead of her opponents. Her backers say Allen -- a moderate woman who supports abortion rights -- would match up best against Torricelli in the fall. But she lags behind Forrester in the money chase, and her opponents have sought to paint her as a liberal out of touch with Republican primary voters. At one point, Matheussen pointed out that Allen last year had declined to vote for a constitutional amendment to clear the way for parents to be notified before a teenager can have an abortion. Allen insisted she supports parental notification, but had problems with the way that legislation was crafted. Trying to burnish her conservative credentials, Allen declared she is tough on crime and has a record of tax-cutting. And she jabbed at Forrester, arguing that in West Windsor, "he increased taxes more than 300 percent. I've never increased taxes, I've only cut taxes." During Forrester's four years on the council, the last two as mayor, the local tax rate tripled to $1.19 per of assessed valuation. Forrester explained that the tax hike went to pay for bonds floated by a previous administration to fund a new sewer system. To explain, he brought up the movie "Meet the Parents." "There was a great scene in the back yard where there was a failed septic system," he said. "That's what was going on all over my town." Matheussen sought to counter the perception that he's stuck in third place. The South Jerseyan introduced himself as a guy who grew up in Jersey City and graduated from Seton Hall before moving south. He vowed to fight for "family values" if sent to Washington. Last night may have been the candidates' best shot to take advantage of free TV air time. Another two televised debates are scheduled, but both are to show over Memorial Day weekend, when many voters will be at the beach, not in front of their television sets. NJN plans to rebroadcast the one-hour debate Saturday at noon, and to make it available on the network's Web site, www.njn.net.
UNITED STATES 2002 GOVERNOR'S RACES ANALYSIS-Everyone — including Republicans — pretty much agrees that the GOP is going to lose some ground among the governorships in 2002. The question is, how much? Republicans must defend 23 governorships this year, compared to just 11 for Democrats. Both governorships held by independents also are on the ballot this year: Maine Gov. Angus King is term-limited, and Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura hasn't revealed whether he plans to seek a second term or not.After the GOP swept a lot of state executive offices in 1994, a lot of those same governors won re-election in 1998 and are now term-limited and forced to retire at the end of this year — in many cases creating vulnerable open seats. In all, the party is looking at defending anywhere from seven to 10 at-risk open seats, whereas Democrats will have to defend, at most, half that number overall, including both open seats and incumbents. A few GOP incumbents will need some looking after, too.One factor helping to counter this lopsided playing field for the Republicans is a handful of crowded Democratic primaries keeping potentially strong candidates distracted for the time being in Massachusetts, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Wisconsin — all states where Democrats stand solid chances of picking up seats in November. To quickly run through the Democrat-held seats on the ballot, the party is almost certain to lose one seat, that of term-limited Gov. Tony Knowles (D), with GOP Senator Frank Murkowksi being the 800-pound gorilla in that race. The party also has two open seats that are squarely in the Toss-up column: Hawaii, where two-time contender Linda Lingle is waging the GOP's strongest bid for the office in over 40 years, while the Democratic candidate has had some problems; and New Hampshire, where both parties are hosting crowded primaries in the race to replace Gov. Jeanne Shaheen (D), who is running for the Senate.And one Democratic incumbent, Gov. Don Siegelman of Alabama, seems to be at real risk of losing his seat due to some problems during his tenure and the conservative tilt of his state.Beyond that, any one of a handful of Democrat-held seats could become competitive, such as the open seat in Oregon, where the Democratic governor is term-limited, or possibly one of the party's Southern governors, like Jim Hodges of South Carolina. It's equally possible, however, that Democrats may only need to fixate on Alabama, Hawaii and New Hampshire, spending the rest of their time and resources on winning Republian-held seats.By virtue of the size of the prize and the amount of money that ultimately will be spent here, not to mention the importance the White House sees in having a strong party showing here, all eyes will be on California, where Democratic Gov. Gray Davis manages to appear well positioned against GOP challenger Bill Simon, even as Davis' job numbers look weak. While California voters continue to have issues with Davis' handling of the state's budget problems and power crisis, it's still tough to imagine them opting to vote for the conservative Simon instead.Maryland Lt. Gov. Kathleen Kennedy Townsend may get a moderately competitive challenge from GOP Rep. Bob Ehrlich for the open seat in Maryland, but with the state's Democratic tilt, Townsend should win.The biggest develop.m.ent on the gubernatorial playing field since we last covered it for you was Acting Massachusetts Gov. Jane Swift's decision not to seek election to a full term this fall, and wealthy businessman Mitt Romney's parachuting into the race as the GOP's "savior." Swift was shaping up to be a weak and problematic candidate for the party, and Romney's decision to run, along with the crowded and late Democratic primary featuring a covey of candidates, prompts us to move this seat from the "Likely Loss" category to "Toss-up," in one rare bright spot for the GOP.
Still ranked as likely losses for the party, though, are the open seat in New Mexico, where former Clinton Energy Secretary and former Rep. Bill Richardson is the probable Democratic nominee, and Rhode Island, where Republicans have a crowded, late primary in a state that favors Democrats.In addition to Massachusetts, five open, GOP-held seats also are viewed as Toss-ups right now: Arizona, Illinois, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Tennessee. In Arizona, Democrats are certain to nominate experienced statewide contender state Attorney General Janet Napolitano, whereas Republicans are hosting a competitive primary including a member of Congress and two women statewide elected officials, the secretary of state and the treasurerIn Illinois, Republicans fear that their nominee may suffer for the scandals that are forcing the current GOP governor to retire. Pennsylvania Democrats are hosting a knock-down, drag-out primary between two well-known figures, former Philadelphia Mayor Ed Rendell and state Auditor Bob Casey, son of the former governor, but whoever emerges from that primary is going to put up a tough fight for the seat.In Michigan, assuming that state Attorney General Jennifer Granholm emerges from the August Democratic primary, this seat will start tilting the Democrats' way, given Granholm's rock-star appeal and the GOP's choice of weaker candidates.
On top of that, Wisconsin Gov. Scott McCallum (R) has put in such an underwhelming performance since replacing HHS Secretary Tommy Thompson that rumors even flew about Thompson possibly quitting his Cabinet post to go run for his old seat again. Democrats are hosting a contested primary here, too, but whoever they nominate is going to give McCallum a serious race.Beyond this slew of vulnerable seats, three Republican incumbents seeking re-election are going to get a lot of attention simply because of who they are, and who their challengers are: Texas Gov. Rick Perry, New York Gov. George Pataki, and Florida Gov. Jeb Bush. Perry faces self-funding multimillionaire Tony Sanchez, a conservative Democrat who gave a lot of money to George W. Bush's campaigns, which, Democrats argue, inoculates him somewhat against GOP attacks for being liberal. A Perry loss obviously would be a symbolic blow for the White House, although the president's advisers would cut him off at the knees PDQ if that happened, and try to spin it as a show of Bush's (non-transferable) strength when he ran in Texas.Pataki has made real inroads among some key Democratic constituencies and seems well on his way toward locking up his seat, while state Comptroller Carl McCall and former Clinton HUD Secretary Andrew Cuomo battle it out in the Democratic primary that won't be settled until mid-September. And in Florida, Bush is in somewhat worse shape than Pataki due to a state budget crisis and the baggage he carries from the Florida recount, but Democrats there, too, are hampered by a contested September primary, and while attorney Bill McBride could pose a tough challenge to Bush, McBride still must get past the better know former US Attorney General Janet Reno to win the nomination.
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