TRENTON — New Jersey's tea party organizations are trying to make inroads in the state Legislature this year, when all 120 legislative seats are up for election. But they're finding that while their resolve may be strong, political reality could many electoral victories a challenge. Leaders of the disparate groups, which push for low taxes and limited government, have...
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Wearing a hat ringed with tea bags, Vivki Kamaratos of Ocean (Monmouth County) listens to speakers during a Tea Party rally last year. TRENTON — New Jersey's tea party organizations are trying to make inroads in the state Legislature this year, when all 120 legislative seats are up for election.
But they're finding that while their resolve may be strong, political reality could many electoral victories a challenge.
Leaders of the disparate groups, which push for low taxes and limited government, have identified a handful of legislative candidates who are either group members or are clearly simpatico with their ideals. Beyond that, the organizations — there are up to 100 in the state — are preparing to decide which candidates to endorse in primaries and general elections.
And tea party groups have tried to have a voice in the state's affairs. One group submitted a proposed map for legislative redistricting last month, only to find it rejected by Democrats and Republicans.
A coalition of organizations this weekend is holding what it calls a "citizen's convention," which could be one of the larger New Jersey tea party gatherings since the groups began popping up two years ago.
"We aren't going away. We aren't going anywhere," said Mark Falzon, the vice president of the Jersey Shore Tea Party and an organizer of this weekend's event, dubbed The Battle for Trenton. "Instead of standing on the roadside with a sign, we're getting more politically involved. Our groups are getting more sophisticated."
Tea party groups have sprung up across the country since 2009, calling for smaller government and lower taxes. They've been a major force opposing the federal health insurance overhaul adopted last year and helped Republicans claim control of the U.S. House in the November election.
The fledgling groups were exactly the sort of voters who helped Republican Chris Christie defeat incumbent Jon Corzine in the 2009 governor's race. Last year, they helped Republican Jon Runyan unseat U.S. Rep. John Adler and helped two little-known central New Jersey Republican congressional candidates make surprisingly strong runs against incumbent Democrats.
This year's legislative races could be one of the first tests of whether the groups have staying power to carry forward the momentum they gained last year. Only four states — New Jersey, Louisiana, Mississippi and Virginia — are electing state lawmakers this year.
Just one candidate in New Jersey's legislative races uses the phrase "tea party" on his official, on-the-ballot slogan That's William Eames, who's been a journalist, chamber of commerce executive in Atlantic City and Newark, a lobbyist, and a middle school teacher. He's a co-founder of the Morris Patriots.
Unlike some of the tea party-connected candidates around the state, he doesn't have the support of the Republican county organizations in the district. If he wins the Republican primary against Essex Fells councilman William Sullivan, who is backed by the Essex and Morris County Republican organizations, he'll face state Sen. Richard Codey, a Democrat who is a former state senate president and served more than a year as acting governor.
"If there's a Goliath in the race in New Jersey," Eames said, "Dick Codey is probably the Goliath."
Eames said his campaign will rely on tea party supporters — including some from outside his district— to help with knocking on doors.
Bill Haney, founder of the West Jersey Tea Party, said a half-dozen tea party members are running for legislative seats in his area in southern New Jersey's Philadelphia suburbs. He said he expects 10 to 15 candidates from around the state will show up at Saturday's Battle for Trenton event.
Falzon, of the Jersey Shore Tea Party, said tea party organizers were hoping for "dozens and dozens" of their members to run for legislative seats.
But the nature of the political map got in the way, he said. "Our problem is those Democratic districts we want to target don't have active, participatory tea party groups within them."
While some tea party groups preach working through the Republican Party, Falzon is telling people who might want to run for state office this year that third-party candidates can file to run until June 10.
Patrick Murray, a political scientist at Monmouth College, said that it's unlikely many tea party-backed challengers will win elections in November in New Jersey because most of them are running in districts with either establishment Republicans or Democrats who are strong favorites.
Ben Dworkin, a political scientist at Rider University, said the tea party can make an imprint on New Jersey politics this year, even without electoral victories, because it's an off-year election where low turnout is likely. That could make many Republican candidates have to listen to their views.
"A well-organized group, even though it may be small in number," he said, "can have a magnified effect."