"Mistakes Repeated?" Lonegan blog slams Becchi's bid for NJGOP Chair
A prominent conservative outlet raises questions about Rosemary Becchi's judgment as the NJGOP chair election draws closer.
Popular blog Jersey Conservative, whose publisher is Steve Lonegan, another challenger for the NJGOP chair, questioned Jersey1st President and fellow chair candidate Rosemary Becchi’s judgment as the race for chair heats up. A sharply-worded column by the author Rubashov is reviving debate over the failed 2025 gubernatorial campaign of Bill Spadea—and raising new concerns about whether or not Rosemary Becchi would follow the same path as NJGOP chair.
The column, titled “Déjà vu? Would Becchi’s NJGOP make Spadea’s mistakes?”, argues that Spadea’s costly primary bid collapsed not for lack of money, but because too much of it flowed to consultants and too little toward persuading voters. The author places particular blame on Ocean County GOP power broker and tax felon George Gilmore and a network of political operatives tied to the campaign.
The column echoes a view held by some Spadea supporters who believe the campaign prioritized fundraising and consultant compensation over effective voter outreach. According to the column, the result was an expensive effort that failed to convert spending into electoral success. Rubashov also notes long-standing financial and organizational ties between Becchi’s Jersey 1st organization and Spadea-aligned entities such as the Common Sense Club and Elect Common Sense PAC—relationships that predate Spadea’s formal entry into the race.
The column suggests that some of the same consultants involved in Spadea’s campaign are now positioned to regain influence through a Becchi-led state party, prompting concerns among critics about whether the NJGOP could repeat past strategic missteps.
The piece also revisits national scrutiny of Spadea’s fundraising tactics following a February 2025 report by Politico, which documented repeated small-dollar donations from elderly, out-of-state contributors—some of whom said they were unaware they were giving to a New Jersey gubernatorial candidate. While the column acknowledges that such tactics are not unique to campaigns overall, it argues the controversy underscored deeper issues about campaign priorities.
NJGOP state committee members will meet on January 5th, 2026 to elect the new Chair. Lonegan, former Bogota mayor and a conservative activist, and Jersey1st’s Becchi, (the latter of which lost to then-Rep. Mikie Sherrill in 2020), are being challenged by Monmouth County Clerk and GOP co-chair Christine Giordano Hanlon.
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