Anna C. Little

Anna C. Little was not supposed to get the congressional nomination in New Jersey's 6th District. She did not hold "The Line," and had very little funds--and her opponent regarded her as a nonentity. Yet she won anyway, and in a manner that suggests that the general election will not be so readily predictable.

The obstacles that Little faced were indeed formidable. Her opponent, Diane Gooch, spent $200,574 on her campaign, more than ten times as much as Little spent, after raising $432,902. That Little could win the nonimation on a literal shoestring budget of $19,503 is remarkable in and of itself.

Moreover, Gooch held "The Line," or the endorsements of all the Regular Republican Organizations in the various counties (Monmouth, Middlesex, Somerset, and Union) that are partly included in the 6th District. (Actually, Plainfield in Union County and part of Franklin Township in Somerset County are the only parts of those counties within the district.) And the manner in which Gooch got "The Line," at least in Monmouth County, is instructive, at least according to Bob Jordan of the Asbury Park Press. Yesterday evening, after Gooch conceded defeat, the Monmouth County Republican Committee held its biennial leadership convention. At that convention, John Costigan of Howell Township challenged county chairman Joseph Oxley for his position. His grounds: Oxley and his "inner circle," he said, were far too dismissive of Little's candidacy. From the article:

Costigan said rank-and-file county committee members preferred Little over Gooch, but claimed no one asked them. He said the choice was left to an inner circle, though Oxley said as many as 92 members could have weighed in.

If what Costigan charged is correct, this could illustrate Gooch's serious image problem. Any negative image that she inherited from a Republican county committee that does things in that manner would be bad enough. But in addition, Gooch developed a reputation for not being willing to talk to voters. In fact, Gooch ignored Little completely, and campaigned almost as though she were running in an uncontested primary. This is exactly the sort of politician that Tea Party-energized voters do not want: one who considers herself entitled to the position she seeks, as if a handful of party leaders in a "smoke-filled room" may legitimately speak for rank-and-file party members while deliberately ignoring them. (One commenter to this APP story suggested that Gooch ought to fire her campaign managers for making such a dreadful strategic miscalculation.)

Gooch might also have tried to rely on a preponderance of endorsements. Gooch's endorsement page had many names on it, but oddly one name should have been present, but wasn't: Governor Chris Christie, who endorsed Gooch but was not listed. Little's endorsement page had far fewer names, the most prominent of which was that of Steve Lonegan, who lost to Christie in the 2009 gubernatorial primary.

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Little obviously ran an underdog's race. More to the point, those who endorsed her lent more than their names. About half her endorsements came from Tea Party groups, and those members were willing to campaign the old-fashioned way, by going door-to-door to reach the voters. Little also held many meetings with small groups and larger groups, and from these won most of her support and her contributions. The final vote totals tell the story: 6804 to 6721, for a total of 13,525 votes cast, as against 6706 votes cast two years ago.

Little announced early that she would now try to raise funds from other conservative groups in Washington, DC. She knows that Frank Pallone, the Democratic incumbent, has an even greater funding advantage: a $4 million war chest, according to the Associated Press. Pallone is still the heavy favorite--but then again, Little has shown that money and endorsements alone are not sufficient.

This article is part of the C3 series.

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