Bloomberg Endorses Dennis Shulman’s Bid for Congress

October 28th, 2008

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Oct 28, 2008
Contact: Jeff Hauser, (201) 767-8162, jeff@shulmanforcongress.com

Haworth, NJ - This morning, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced his endorsement of Dennis Shulman’s campaign for New Jersey’s Fifth District Congressional Seat. Bloomberg, the nation’s most prominent Independent, was elected mayor as a Republican. Bloomberg joins a broad coalition of Democrats, Independents, and Republicans who stand behind Shulman’s bid to unseat right-wing extremist Scott Garrett.

“I’m endorsing Dennis Shulman because I’m impressed by his pragmatic, sensible approach to the tough issues, including how we strengthen the economy and how we keep illegal guns out of the hands of criminals,” said Mayor Bloomberg. “We need more leaders in Congress willing to reach across the aisle and focus on problem solving, not ideology. He’s been a strong voice for change at a time when we badly need it. He’s not afraid of shaking up Washington, and I urge voters in his district to give him the chance to do exactly that by voting for him on Election Day.

“Dennis happens to live in New Jersey, but in our federal government every congressman gets the same vote.

“On too many things, ideology has gotten in the way. [Dennis Shulman is] somebody who understands that we have to do something about these issue, walk away from ideology and focus on results. The reason to vote for Shulman is that he’s right on the issues…. I don’t agree with him on everything but he has stood up, analyzed the issues, and said ‘I’m not going to let partisan politics get in the way. I’m not going to let single-issue advocacy groups cow me and beat me down or bribe me. I’m going to go out and do what’s right.’”

“Like many in Northern New Jersey, I have long admired Mayor Bloomberg’s steady leadership…. The mayor sees problems as solvable, not as a chance to apply an extreme ideology,” said Shulman. “That pragmatism is exactly the sort of approach the voters of the Fifth District need. For too long, we have had a representative who has failed us on the economy. For too long, our representative has pursued a rigid, narrow-minded approach to the economic challenges we face in New Jersey and in the nation.”

A recording of the press conference is available here: http://blip.tv/file/1406117/

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The Shulman for Congress campaign continues to garner significant momentum, positioning itself to overtake Garrett on November 4th. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee upgraded the seat to its prestigious “Red to Blue” program, making it a top national priority, while a recently leaked National Republican Congressional Committee memo lists Garrett as one of the nation’s most vulnerable Republicans. This past weekend, a Research 2000 poll showed Shulman within striking distance of Garrett (with a 47-40 Garrett-Shulman split), and political forecasters like Larry Sabato and the Evans-Novak Report have confirmed Garrett’s weakness.

MORE BACKGROUND:

* “More drama in the overheating 5th District congressional race,” Matt Friedman, PolitickerNJ, http://www.politickernj.com/matt-friedman/24745/more-drama-overheating-5th-district-congressional-race”
* 5th Congressional District NJN Report,” Zach Fink, NJN Network, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0nRIHbdC9FI
* PROFILES: Peter Applebome, The New York Times, http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/14/nyregion/14towns.html?_r=1&ref=nyregion&oref=slogin ; Jeffrey Toobin, The New Yorker, http://www.newyorker.com/talk/2008/07/28/080728ta_talk_toobin
* You can learn more about Dennis Shulman at http://shulmanforcongress.com
* Michael Bloomberg is the 108th Mayor of the City of New York. A widely respected businessman and philanthropist, Bloomberg founded a small start-up company in 1981 called Bloomberg LP, which now boasts 9,500 employees in more than 130 cities worldwide. Elected mayor of New York City in November 2001, Bloomberg’s forward-looking leadership allowed the city to rebuild and grow after 9/11 faster and stronger than anyone expected. Mayor Bloomberg was re-elected in 2005 by a diverse coalition of support that stretched across the political spectrum. 
You can learn more about Bloomberg at http://www.mikebloomberg.com/

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