UPDATE: Sipprelle Demands Apology and Halfacre Refuses

 | March 11, 2010   



The cold war in NJ-12 GOP Primary is getting hot, Save Jerseyans!

Mike Halfacre dropped a bomb before last night's Middlesex candidate screening, accusing Scott Sipprelle of a pretty serious political transgression: not registering as a Republican until 2007. Halfacre then went on to win the screening committee's endorsement in an upset, 22-14. Clearly, Sipprelle blames the Halfacre voter registration press release for his surprise loss (Sipprelle had already won the backing of the county chairman). For what it's worth, I highly doubt that information alone pushed Mayor Mike over the top. Whether it was intended as a "dirty trick" is immaterial; if the accusation is ultimately found to be true, then there's nothing dirty about it.

Now Sipprelle is firing back by producing a few voting documents. These records demonstrate that Sipprelle declared himself a "Republican" as early as 1988.

Sipprelle consultant Chris Russell's release:




Official records show Sipprelle first registered as a Republican all the way back in 1988 in Hudson County.  The official records also show he re-affiliated as a Republican in Bergen when voting in the 2000 GOP Primary and then re-affiliated again as a Republican in Mercer when voting in the 2007 GOP Primary.  The State’s voter registration system has since been amended to allow party affiliation to follow residents from county-to-county when they change residences.

 

“Mike Halfacre is a career political insider who will literally say or do anything to win this campaign,” said Sipprelle Consultant Chris Russell.  “Issuing a press release, without any credible proof, that claimed Scott ‘was not even a registered Republican until 2007’ less than two hours before a major screening committee event and then reiterating that false claim in-person, is outrageous."

 

Russell continued, “Either Mike Halfacre knowingly lied about Scott’s long history as a Republican or he failed to research the question with any care whatsoever.  Either way, it’s an inexcusable way to run a campaign.  He owes Scott an apology, the people he misled at the Middlesex County GOP Screening Committee an explanation, and he should retract these lies about Scott via a press release to the media and his entire email list immediately.”


So we now know that Scott registered as a Republican in 1988. But did he remain a Republican?

Mayor Halfacre is asking the same question and refusing to apologize for the original release. His campaign responded to Sipprelle with a follow-up statement around 5:15 PM this evening, in which Halfacre CM Tom Fitzsimmons restates the accusation that there are discrepancies in Sipprelle's voter history.

The statement from Fitzsimmons:



“I’d like to thank Chris Russell for confirming what our campaign has been saying all along: that sometimes Scott Sipprelle is a Republican and sometimes he isn’t.
 
The fact remains that for a number of years- including from the time he registered to vote in Mercer County in 2001 up until 2007-Scott Sipprelle was not a registered Republican. He made donations to Democrats like Chuck Schumer, when he was in between Republican phases, and donated to five House Democrats last year even when he was registered as a Republican. He has been evasive about those donations, which have led voters to have their doubts about Mr. Sipprelle. This checkered voting registration history will only generate more doubt.
 
Finally..in the documents the Sipprelle campaign released, there seems to be a curious absence of any of Mr. Sipprelle’s voting history between the June 2001 primary and the November 2004 general election. Perhaps some enterprising reporter can dig up those records and see if they’re of any interest to the public.”


A legitimate issue? You be the judge, Save Jerseyans. I've posted the Sipprelle-supplied public records below so you can do your own private investigation. Take note of the gap between 2001 and 2007 where we cannot ascertain Sipprelle's affiliation.

Allow me to just make one point about all of this: Sipprelle brought it on himself. Regardless of whether he was registered as a Republican, a Democrat, or a Whig before 2010, it's undisputed that he donated to Congressional Democrats in the recent past. When something like a donation to Chuck Schumer is on your record, then you can't blame Republicans for demanding a higher level of disclosure from your campaign (nor can you blame a primary opponent for bringing it up). Scott's unwillingness to interview with outlets like Save Jersey and MoreMonmouthMusings has only made matters worse, so issues like holes in his voting record suddenly warrant greater scrutiny from everyone trying to cover this primary.

Don't misunderstand me: there's plenty of things I like about Scott Sipprelle. He'd undoubtedly be a better public servant than Rush Holt. But how can I back someone in the primary with so many outstanding questions that the candidate simply refuses to answer directly?













 del.icio.us  Stumbleupon  Technorati  Digg 

Posted by Matt Rooney at Thursday, March 11, 2010 6:27 PM
Categories: uncategorized

Previous Entry
Next Entry

 

What did you think of this article?




Trackbacks
Trackback specific URL for this entry
  • No trackbacks exist for this entry.
Comments
Display comments as (Linear | Threaded)

  • Thursday, March 11, 2010 6:41 PM A Voter wrote:
    Starting to sour on Sipprelle. Too many questions just like you said, Matt.
    Reply to this
    1. Thursday, March 11, 2010 7:30 PM NJConservativeLion wrote:
      Agreed.

      I'd be you anything that Holt loves Sipprelle's presence in this primary. Holt will win if Halfacre goes down. A Wall Street Republican can't carry a Democrat district in 2010 or in any other cycle.
      Reply to this
      1. Thursday, March 11, 2010 8:01 PM RooneysInTheTank wrote:
        Wrong wrong and wrong. With all of this whining about registrations (the supposed "inconsistencies" of which could easily be blamed on bureaucratic red tape, party affiliation should follow you with your registration) and Rooney clinging to this issue like timber after the Titanic, it is easy to forget what this is really all about: Halfacre either lied or is running such a lousy campaign that he got something fundamental wrong.

        Here we are in freaking March and we already have what almost certainly going to be the most embarrassing blunder of the primary season. The fact that the guy and his team can't get a simple piece of opposition research right shows they are woefully unprepared to wage any sort of meaningful campaign.

        Do you have any idea how easy it is to find out someones voter history? Wow did they blow this one.
        Reply to this
    2. Thursday, March 11, 2010 7:45 PM R.Reagan wrote:
      Funny. I was just about to say the same thing about Halfacre. To blatantly lie to get ahead....yuck. Not Congressmanlike, if you ask me.
      Reply to this
  • Thursday, March 11, 2010 6:46 PM Anonymous wrote:
    The specific claim made yesterday by the Halfacre people was that “before 2007, Mr. Sipprelle was not a registered Republican.” This specific quote from Halfacre's spokesman appeared on this blog (as well as other blogs) yesterday. It was a lie. Halfacre lied. The documents provided by the Sipprelle campaign show that Sipprelle registered as a Republican as early as 1988 in Hudson County, reffiliated as a Republican in Bergen when voting in the 2000 GOP Primary, and then re-affiliated again as a Republican in Mercer when voting in the 2007 GOP Primary. As I understand it from reading btween the lines of the press release from the Sipprelle campaign, Sipprelle was never registered with any party other than the Republican Party, and that when Sipprelle initially moved to Mercer County, his Republican affiliation from Bergen was not automatically picked up and he was listed for several years as unaffiliated. This was corrected when he voted in the 2007 GOP primary.

    To repeat, Halfacre lied. Halfacre's credibility is now so seriously damaged that I don't see how he can continue to go forward with his campaign.
    Reply to this
    1. Thursday, March 11, 2010 7:32 PM NJConservativeLion wrote:
      The fact is that Sipprelle creates questions about himself. This is an issue because Scott Sipprelle has so many weird facets to his past. Donating to Dems, not being registered for a large block of time, and so on.

      Can't blame Mike Halfacre for broaching the topic. He is within his right to do so.
      Reply to this
      1. Thursday, March 11, 2010 8:03 PM Anonymous wrote:
        ....and it blew up in his face
        Reply to this
  • Thursday, March 11, 2010 7:10 PM TrueBlueRepublican wrote:
    The bottom line is that Halfacre lied and got caught in that lie. If he weren't such a scumbag he'd resign and go hide somewhere dark in shame. I guarantee you this: if he somehow managed to lie his way to victory in the primary, he'd get obliterated in the general. A lot of Republicans now would rather not vote, or even pull the lever for Holt than inflict Halfacre on the rest of the country.
    Reply to this
    1. Thursday, March 11, 2010 7:21 PM Anonymous wrote:
      Yes, that's now the big problem with choosing Halfacre as our candidate. His tactics have so angered so many Republicans in this District that if he's our candidate, many will stay home in November. In the last week, Halfacre has trotted out his incredibly baised poll, and now he's been caught in a big lie. It's just too much for many of us to stomach.
      Reply to this
      1. Thursday, March 11, 2010 8:04 PM J. Joseph Rivera wrote:
        What Republublicans has he "angered", other than those who are already backing Scott Sipprelle? Care to supply any proof of that claim? Mike Halfacre's criticism is 100% valid.

        For the record, I rescind my previous rescinding of criticism on this issue upon further review of the facts. There was no lie here and Mayor Halfacre should stand his ground as will I.
        Reply to this
        1. Thursday, March 11, 2010 8:15 PM Anonymous wrote:
          Joe: What facts are you reviewing? Halfacre claimed that “before 2007, Mr. Sipprelle was not a registered Republican.” The documents show unequivocally that Sipprelle was a registered Republican long before 2007. Sorry, Joe, but Halfacre stepped in it here big time. You gotta concede on this one.
          Reply to this
        2. Thursday, March 11, 2010 8:18 PM TrueBlueRepublican wrote:
          If you can't see the lie staring you in the face you are as stupid as Halfacre - which makes you equally qualified to represent the 12th in Congress.
          Reply to this
          1. Thursday, March 11, 2010 8:45 PM J. Joseph Rivera wrote:
            There was clearly no lie here and it appears as though Mayor Halfacre strategically did this to get Scott Sipprelle out from the shadows. If so, mission accomplished. He's now got Sipprelle on defense.

            Mayor Halfacre chose his words very carefully. He didn't make any statements that were untrue. This appears to be excellent tactical execution on Mayor Halfacre's part. He set Sipprelle up and he took the bait hook,line and sinker.

            Sipprelle got beat on this pretty badly. Once again the sign of a man who's a complete novice. If he honestly felt there was any real wrongdoing here, he would've immediately filed a lawsuit for libel which he didn't do because he knows if he did he would lose. Furthermore, Mayor Halfacre successfully got people asking more and more questions about Sipprelle's qualifications.

            Either way, Mayor Halfacre comes out a winner in this.
            Reply to this
            1. Thursday, March 11, 2010 8:52 PM Anonymous wrote:
              Wow, Joe. That's one of the most bizarre responses I've ever read. I think you must be living in an alternative universe. Are you for real?
              Reply to this
              1. Thursday, March 11, 2010 9:04 PM J. Joseph Rivera wrote:
                If Scott Sipprelle thinks there was a lie here, let's see him have the backbone to take it to court. Otherwise, prove me wrong.

                He sure as heck hasn't shown much of a backbone on anything else since he entered the race. All he's proven so far is that he'd come in handy if they need somebody to be an ump for the annual Republican vs Democrat softball game.
                Reply to this
                1. Thursday, March 11, 2010 9:25 PM Anonymous wrote:
                  Oh, that's just great Joe. Let's have Republicans suing each other. That's really going to help us defeat Holt. Wonderful idea.
                  Reply to this
              2. Thursday, March 11, 2010 11:49 PM Anonymous wrote:
                hahahaha! yeah great strategy! "Hey let's sacrifice all of our credibility to draw out our opponent" Brilliant!
                Reply to this
        3. Thursday, March 11, 2010 10:27 PM Tex wrote:
          "Stand his ground?" What ground? It appears more like sinking sand to me.
          Reply to this
  • Thursday, March 11, 2010 10:22 PM Jack wrote:
    The fact is that Halftwit said that Sipprelle was not a registered Republican before 2007--period. That's a lie, pure and simple, no matter how you try to spin it. And those folk who say or imply Sipprelle was a Dem or unregistered should prove it. Halftwit is an embarrassment and a disgrace. He should bow out now before he gets eviscerated.
    Reply to this
    1. Thursday, March 11, 2010 10:31 PM J. Joseph Rivera wrote:
      If nothing Mayor Halfacre said was true, you Sipprelle bots wouldn't be going off the deep end the way you are. Like I said, if it's a lie, let Sipprelle take it to court. Otherwise, admit that he got goaded into responding to this like the not ready for primetime amateur he is.
      Reply to this
      1. Thursday, March 11, 2010 10:38 PM Buzz wrote:
        Nice try Halfacre. Only a lawyer would jump to this rationalization. The court of public opinion will fry you. Too bad, Mike.
        Reply to this
      2. Thursday, March 11, 2010 10:40 PM Anonymous wrote:
        Joe, c'mon. Give it up. Halfacre tried to take a dump on Sipprelle and ended up soiling himself. You're not winning anyone over by arguing that Sipprelle should sue.
        Reply to this
      3. Thursday, March 11, 2010 11:27 PM Dao Fox wrote:
        Interesting logic. It would be wise for Scott to post a bunch of lies about Halfacre to skillfully "goad" him into denying it and accusing Scott of lying. And if he doesn't file a lawsuit within the first 24 hours he must have something to hide. Wow!

        It is amazing to see someone so in the tank for a small town mayor in a district that is so far from competitive. Is there some prize for winning the GOP primary? Because history shows its not a seat in Congress. The Halfacre Campaign is at best incompetent, at worst willing to lie to get a Screening Committee endorsement, a County endorsement, and a primary nomination in a district where the odds of any Republican winning are almost nil.

        And I thought things were messed up in Chicago. No wonder this has been a blue state. Holt probably hasn't bothered campaigning let alone learning the names of his potential opponents. This is all truly sad.
        Reply to this
      4. Thursday, March 11, 2010 11:55 PM Overrated wrote:
        Sipprelle -> NOT READY FOR PRIME TIME!
        Reply to this
        1. Friday, March 12, 2010 12:20 AM anonymous wrote:
          Mike, go to bed.
          Reply to this
      5. Thursday, March 11, 2010 11:57 PM Anonymous wrote:
        Yeah, who would expect a reaction when you have someone dead to rights on a lie?
        Reply to this
        1. Friday, March 12, 2010 12:04 AM Z Man wrote:
          Scott can't take a punch from Halfacre? How is he going to take a punch from Rush Holt and his millions? Good luck!
          Reply to this
          1. Friday, March 12, 2010 1:14 PM Anonymous wrote:
            Learn to read please
            Reply to this
    2. Thursday, March 11, 2010 10:34 PM Buzz wrote:
      To this point, the docs that appear above clearly indicate 20 years of uninterrupted voter registration.
      Reply to this
      1. Friday, March 12, 2010 1:06 AM Anonymous wrote:
        The docs above, and Chris Russell's statement, clearly indicate that Sipprelle was an unaffiliated voter for a majority of the time since 1988. I'm not sure how Sipprelle thought that producing those documents would help his case and dispel doubts about his Republican pedigree.

        I dont know if JJR is correct in stating that Halfacre intentionally drew out Sipprelle on this one, but they have to be stupid or desperate to hang their hats on this argument.All it does is give Halfacre more opportunity to talk about Sipprelle's donations to Democrats and put Sipprelle in the position of having to convince people, two weeks before a convention, that he's actually a Republican. Is that what he really wants to be talking about?
        Reply to this
      2. Friday, March 12, 2010 1:17 AM Andy K. wrote:
        Yeah, these docs show uninterrupted registration.... but NOT as a Republican!

        More questions. What is Sipprelle hiding?
        Reply to this
  • Thursday, March 11, 2010 11:41 PM Apples to Apples wrote:
    How many paid commenters does Chris Russell keep on the payroll?

    They should spend less time reading Save Jersey and more time stumping for votes in Middlesex. That race is going to be close! Good for you, Matt. Guess it shows how important you blog is now.
    Reply to this
    1. Thursday, March 11, 2010 11:46 PM Dwight Sucks wrote:
      Dwight Sipprelle needs to get a life. Stop blog trolling!
      Reply to this
  • Thursday, March 11, 2010 11:52 PM Anonymous wrote:
    I wonder how Mr. Halfacre would react if folks started going through all his public records and posting them on blogs? Not just voting records, anything else from his past. Hmmm... could be interesting.
    Reply to this
  • Friday, March 12, 2010 10:11 AM Very Curious wrote:
    "WHEN A CANDIDATE CAN'T WIN BASED ON THE ISSUES, THEY MAKE IT ABOUT OTHER THINGS."
    ...Marco Rubio, leading GOP candidate for Fla.'s U.S. Senate seat speaking of his opponent, incumbent Fla. Governor Charlie Crist
    Reply to this
  • Friday, March 12, 2010 3:16 PM FrancisUmbertoAngelini wrote:
    Rooney, why are you ripping Russell?
    Reply to this
    1. Friday, March 12, 2010 8:09 PM Matt Rooney wrote:
      I have nothing against Chris Russell. He's a good guy and a fine professional. We're all counting on him to reconquer CD-3 for the good guys.

      This is about comparing two candidates - Sipprelle and Halfacre - and I've ripped both of them up and down on different issues. Both camps apparently think I'm shilling for the other. Must mean I'm doing a good job!
      Reply to this
  • Friday, March 12, 2010 3:19 PM Anonymous wrote:
    to anon 1:06am, "the docs above clearly indicate that for most of the time since 1988 Sipprelle was an unaffiliated voter".

    You either can't read or you are in the running for dumbest person in New Jersey.
    The Bergen County voting record above says Sipprelle was registered as a Republican from 07/20/1991 to 01/30/2002 when I guess he moved to Mercer.
    Reply to this
  • Friday, March 12, 2010 3:32 PM J. Joseph Rivera wrote:
    The Sipprelle bots, most of which I'm willing to bet are either relatives or fellow Wall Street fat cats, are flipping out becuase they know this is bad for them and Sipprelle reacted the wrong way. Halfacre calls him out and Sipprelle responds by showing documentation proving him RIGHT?

    Whoever's running Sipprelle's campaign seriously needs to be fired. He or she appears to be just as unqualified for the job as Sipprelle is to be a congressman.
    Reply to this
  • Friday, March 12, 2010 3:37 PM The Rosato Brothers wrote:
    Rooney, why don't you disclose you are competing with Russell for campaign work? Your bias is obvious. Pick one, the blog or the campaign consultant business. You can't do both and be credible.
    Reply to this
    1. Friday, March 12, 2010 8:04 PM Clayton Cowboy wrote:
      Better Rooney runs races than losers like Dave Ferrucci. When is the last time the Glouco GOP leadership won anything? I can't remember!

      Bring back Oglesby!
      Reply to this
    2. Friday, March 12, 2010 10:54 PM Anonymous wrote:
      At least Oglesby raised money! The only thing Ferrucci raises is his cholesterol.
      Reply to this
      1. Sunday, March 14, 2010 3:02 PM The Rosato Brothers wrote:
        Who is Dave Ferrucci and what does he have to do with my post? I do know who Oglesby is and your either doing her or your crazy.
        Reply to this
  • Friday, March 12, 2010 5:00 PM Anonymous wrote:
    Dear Joe,
    We are all finding your insights and campaign wisdom extremely valuable. Since I am sure you are right that there are only 4 or 5 people backing Sipprelle, isn't it time for you to help Halfacre out of the gutter so he can delouse, shower off and try to look statesman like for the general?
    Reply to this
    1. Friday, March 12, 2010 5:47 PM J. Joseph Rivera wrote:
      Mayor Halfacre doesn't need my help and I don't work for him. I think he's a good and honorable man as well as an excellent public servant.

      I've been doing this for a long time and I simply see what I see and speak my mind accordingly. What I see in Scott Sipprelle is a man completely unqualified to be a congressman as evidenced by the weak staff he has apparently surrounded himself with in back of this blunder. I honestly can't remember the last time I saw a candidate attempt to clear his name by airing out his dirty laundry for all to see. As I said, whoever the person was on his staff that told him do that should be FIRED ON THE SPOT.
      Reply to this
  • Friday, March 12, 2010 9:11 PM Anonymous wrote:
    Joe Rivera, you certainly have been doing something recreational for a long time but it isn't reading voter registrations. What part of the documents supports Halfacre press release that "before 2007 Sipprelle was not a registered Republican"? Also, what part of being a Republican since 1988 do you consider to be dirty laundry?
    Reply to this
Leave a comment

 Enter the above security code (required)

 Name

 Email (will not be published)

 Website

Your comment is 0 characters limited to 3000 characters.