James O'Keefe, who gained fame after secretly videotaping groups like NPR and ACORN, encouraged them to do their own surreptitious investigations
Jeff Weingarten, left, listens to former state Sen. Richard LaRossa at an April 6 tea party leader gathering. LaRossa spoke today at a tea party convention in East Windsor.EAST WINDSOR — Trading ideas and getting advice from those with more experience, about 150 tea party members held a campaign training session today in hopes it will help them win more seats in the Legislature this year.
The tea party is trying to parlay successes in the last election cycle into victories in November, when all 120 seats in the Legislature are up for re-election.
Titled "The Battle for Trenton," today’s event was held at the Holiday Inn in East Windsor. James O’Keefe, who gained fame after secretly videotaping groups like National Public Radio, ACORN and Planned Parenthood, gave the keynote address.
O’Keefe encouraged the group to partake in their own surreptitious investigations, telling them he would like to see private citizens target corrupt judges.
"Anyone who is abusing the trust of our people needs to be investigated," he said. "It’s not a conservative movement, it’s not right-wing, it’s a movement to expose hypocrisy."
O’Keefe stayed out of the political foray, offering only one piece of a advice to an attendee who asked if he should use undercover videos in political campaigns. O’Keefe advised against it, saying videos should be used by private citizens, not political operations.
"We stand for a movement to expose truths locally, it’s a citizen-run movement," O’Keefe said.
The group also heard from campaign veterans who offered tips on fundraising, organizing volunteers and developing a winning message.
Laura Walsh, of Englewood, said the convention will help make the tea party stronger.
"We’re developing new skills," she said. "It’s about learning to be highly effective."
Dominic Magnolo, a member of the Mercer County Board of Elections, held a seminar on how to be an Election Day poll watcher and how to prevent voter fraud.
Voter fraud is most likely to occur through absentee ballots, he said, and encouraged party members to monitor voting patterns at nursing homes and assisted-living facilities where the elderly or disabled could be exploited.
Chris D. Kniesler, a campaign strategist, gave a presentation on campaign organization, providing pointers on both running a campaign and being a candidate.
He encouraged potential campaign managers to develop a message, write a strategy and then repeat it often.
"Stating fact isn’t an attack, " Kniesler said. "Attack the policy not the person."
Former state Sen. Richard LaRossa delivered the opening remarks, encouraging members to support their candidates but to be pragmatic and not hold them to "impossible litmus tests." LaRossa, a Republican from Mercer County, served two terms in the state Senate, losing a bid for reelection in 1997.
LaRossa said he didn’t see events like today’s training session as moving the tea party closer to being their own party.
"It shows that the tea party movement is alive and very well in New Jersey," LaRossa said. "I don’t think they want to be labeled a party. They’re fiercely independent."
LaRossa cautioned tea party members not to expect political candidates to adhere to every ideal they hold.
"Our perfect candidate may not exist," LaRossa said. "You have to decide what you can live with or without for now."