Palin campaigns for N.J. Senate hopeful
New Egypt, New Jersey (CNN) - What does a candidate do if he's down in the polls, days from the election, and his opponent is a political celebrity?
Answer: Bring in his own celebrity.
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That's what Senate hopeful Steve Lonegan did this weekend, just days before he faces off against Democratic nominee and Newark Mayor Cory Booker in New Jersey's special U.S. Senate election on Wednesday.
His wild card? Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin.
"Can the rest of America count on you to send Steve Lonegan to the United States Senate?" Palin asked the crowd Saturday at a rally for Lonegan in Ocean County. It was her first appearance at a tea party rally in more than a year, when she stumped for Ted Cruz in Texas in July 2012.
Lonegan, former mayor of Bogota, faces an uphill battle against Booker, a man well known on the national stage.
"Don't be measuring the drapes there just quite yet," Palin said in a warning to Booker.
Palin and Lonegan paint the race as a national referendum on President Barack Obama's policies, including Obamacare.
"When we go to Washington on October 17 (the day after the special election), it's going to be Barack Obama, Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid that are going to fold," Lonegan said at the rally.
Thanks in part to Lonegan's aggressive ad campaign, Booker's 28-percentage-point lead in August dipped to 12 points, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released last week.
That's not surprising to some voters in New Jersey, a state where Democrats greatly outnumber Republicans.
"There are a lot of people in the state that have conservative values and just don't know it," one woman, Alexandra Zazanis of North Arlington, said at the rally.
But another voter said he's not quite on board with Lonegan's policies.
"I'm a Republican, but I think Lonegan's a little bit too far to the right," Dave Munn said.
Krista Jenkins, Director of Public Mind At Farleigh Dickenson University, acknowledge that Lonegan has narrowed his gap with Booker, but added the Republican is still a longshot for the Senate seat.
"We're looking at a very blue state there's approximately 700,000 more registered Democrats than there are Republicans," she said. "So anyone who runs, with the exception of Chris Christie right now, anyone who runs as a Republican, you know, for the Senate is certainly going to have a more difficult time than somebody who's a Democrat."
And because Lonegan is a "movement conservative," not a moderate Republican, his uphill fight is "much steeper" the Garden State, she said.
Lonegan is against abortion rights and same-sex marriage, but his views on Booker seem to be getting all the attention. Lonegan fired one of his top advisers, Rick Shaftan, Friday after that adviser gave a profanity-laced interview, ridiculing Booker for having a Twitter exchange with a stripper.
"I don't know, it was like what a gay guy would say to a stripper," the adviser said.
Lonegan said he can't be responsible for what one of his supporters says.
"I have hundreds of activists, volunteers, donors, people on this campaign and I can't be responsible for what all of them say, but I will take responsibility – so I terminated the gentleman for his inappropriate comment," he told CNN.
Lonegan was criticized for his own comments about Booker after the Newark mayor addressed questions about whether he was gay.
"People who think I'm gay, some part of me thinks it's wonderful," Booker told The Washington Post. "Because I want to challenge people on their homophobia. I love seeing on Twitter when someone says I'm gay, and I say, 'So what does it matter if I am? So be it. I hope you are not voting for me because you are making the presumption that I'm straight.'"
Lonegan weighed in on Booker's comments during an August radio interview.
"It's kind of weird. As a guy, I personally like being a guy," he said.
Then there was the comment that Lonegan made during last week's debate: "All that income tax and sales tax money gets poured into the big black hole of Newark."
After facing some backlash from critics saying his remark was racist, Lonegan said Saturday, "the liberal media is going to say what they want to say."
"Newark's budget is a big black hole," he continued. "And it sucks in millions and billions of suburban taxpayer dollars and we never see it again, period."
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Sarah, go back to your porch in Wasila – we need someone to keep their eyes on the Russians.
Well, here she fails again!
The GOP is really a bunch of misfits trying to self implode. Nothing spells goofy more than the GOP, the Goofy Old People party.
Gee, I'm sure a visit from Sarah Palin will get those undecided moderates off the fence...
Besides, this can only be a desperation move by Lonegan since Palin only does these things to keep her own face in the media and to keep the donations pouring in for whatever she's convinced white males in the 45-80 age group that she does.
No point in steering now...
Did Tina Fey see Russia from NJ too?
Kiss of death.
Please, New Jersey voters, send this carpet bagger back to Alaska where she can chase after the elks and grizzly bears but not hurt any human.
Wow! Sarah Palin...really?! That means it's time to throw in the towel. Palin has not been relevant since she ran for VP with McCain and we all know how that campaign turned out!
democrats should thank god for sarah palin.
How did Palin even know who this guy is? Did she read about him in a newspaper?
Oh, wait.
The focus is on "idiot Sarah Palin" when sadly the focus–for many voters–should be on the do-nothing Newark Mayor Cory Booker. Most people are voting him because he has name recognition or think he's cute because that's about all he has. Lonegan isn't my first choice, but at least I know he's capable of the job. Sorry, NJ Dems, but Booker is a big, fat ZERO.
She is just adding to the massive stupidity in the GOP, it infects the party like a deadly virus .
Snooki Palin .. i'm sure the sensible ppl in NJ will look to you for election advice... NOT .. in my lifetime..
Wow! Why would he want to align himself with someone whose as wacky as she is. I guess perhaps because maybe he is? Wasn't she just at a Rally blaming Obama for the shutdown and not her own party. Plus, wasn't she part of the group attacking Obama and calling him a Muslim. Scary if people who are that dumb and think that way would be making decisions for this country.
When someone is suffering from depression they eat. Palin must be really depressed. put on a few pounds.
These pathetic idiots think Ted Cruz has same Charisma, and caliber as Pres. Pbama, but NO. VERY PATHETIC.
PS: congress better work on tightening Immigration, reduce the number of all kinds of Visas, our benefits such as Medicare, SS are at risk. See the India crowd in major temples etc,. NY, NJ, Chicago, Raleigh, LA, Houstn
Lonegan's campaign just jumped the shark.
NO more Tea Party. Instead elect people who actually know financial management. This Congress has had a year to do a budget. If I were their boss (and I am) I would flat fire the lot of them for gross incompetence.
Anybody that wants Sarah.will do any thing to win.We all know wants.right?
A has-been that never was.....Why does the media keep giving her any attention?
Please Palin, would you just stay in Alaska and leave the rest of the country alone?
Wow...you know he had to pay that woman to show up. That is the best he could come up with? Sad.
Well here's the kiss of death right here...
Guess she's trying to get as far away from Alaska as possible. Alaskans are no doubt grateful.