Keep an eye on Tom Roughneen
By Wally EdgeIt’s not uncommon for a unsuccessful congressional candidates to find future electoral success. Thomas Kean, Sr. lost a GOP House primary in 1974 and became Governor seven years later; his son, State Senate Minority Leader Thomas Kean, Jr., lost a 2000 congressional primary and won an Assembly seat a year later.
So here’s a prediction: keep an eye on Thomas Roughnen, the young former prosecutor and Iraq war veteran who is seeking the GOP nomination for Congress in the seventh district. Republican leaders who watch him on the campaign trail say they are impressed; they say he’s smart, well-spoken and charismatic.
The son of blue-collar, Irish immigrants, Roughneen served in the U.S. Army, went to law school, and spent ten years an Assistant Prosecutor in Essex and Union counties. After 9/11, he returned to active military service, where according to his biography, he was the full-time government leader of the Kiruk government province. “Within months we accomplished our mission and turned over the leadership of the Council and Governorship to local Iraqis: Shia’s, Sunni Arabs, and Kurds who had never cooperated with each other before,” Rougneen says. “The team I led even persuaded the village leaders to open the first ever girls’ secondary school in that region.”
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His name isn't Kean
He should try a council or freeholder challenge first.
A Leader We Can Believe In - TR!
Wally - You are correct. Tom is someone we can believe in - he is someone who truly inspires people. I've been lucky to have the opportunity to get to know Tom, his wife Alice, his family and team. We need leaders in our country who inspire us. We need people we can believe in. We need people who will work to unite us as Americans, not divide us. We need leaders who put personal agendas aside and look at the bigger picture. It is one thing to talk about issues - it is another thing to put them into action. We post comments attacking one another, knocking the parties, knocking individuals willing to run and hold elected office - but we tend to forget about the reason we should want to run for office - making people's lives better. Fighting for the taxpayers. Tom gets it, and is a true inspiration.
Definately
I saw him speak at the Union Convention and he was nothing short of very impressive.
While I don't expect him to win in the very crowded 7th, there's no doubt that he's got a very bright future in the Republican Party.
Tom Roughneen Kicks Ass!
Linda Stender will look like the first class idiot that she is if she has to run against Tom Roughneen.
Stender will try to use the Iraq War as a campaign issue and Roughneen will say, "Linda while you were demagoguing the issue with all your Democrat friends, I was in the Sunni Triangle - getting shot at."
Tom Roughneen will kick Linda Stender's ass from the Delaware to the Raritan.
Interview with Roughneen
I am interviewing Tom Roughneen on BlogTalkRadio tonight at 9:00pm, please call in live to ask a question @ 646-716-7229 or catch the replay after the show airs.
Schedule for tonight:
8:15pm Michael Hsing
8:45pm Kate Whitman
9:00pm Tom Roughneen
9:15pm Vic Sordillo
Roughhneen is no Kate Whitman
THANK GOD!!!!!!!!!!
Troops Rally
You can keep an eye on Mr. Roughneen and hear him speak this Saturday at a Support Our Troops rally in Hackettstown.
4pm at the Hackettstown gazebo, March 29th..
seems good but
he just became a Republican in October 2007. Why all of a sudden a GOP contender after all his adult life a liberal democrat?
Give it your all
Having served with Tom in Iraq, I know he is a honest person and would make a difference. Given the chance I'm sure he would do the right thing always. So if folks are looking for a change I believe he's the one. Not someone with a hidden agenda.
Rock the Congress
Tom has shown he can be a leader. He would be a great representative for the people in the 7th District and would help clean up Washington. Good luck Tom!
Tom Roughneen - Right for New Jersey & RIGHT for AMERICA
Tom Roughneen is the best candidate in the race. Have you seen his website? www.rockthecongress.com Even the name of his website sounds like he is ready to serve our District in a fantastic way.
I had the pleasure of speaking with Mr Roughneen a few weeks ago. I asked him some questions and his "off the cuff" answers were music to my ears.
Tom Roughneen's got my vote and I hope he has your too.
explained
As Tom has explained in some of his speeches, he was a Democrat because of his Irish blue-collar upbringing. After he came back from Iraq in April 2004, he was disgusted with the Democratic party and how they wanted to quit and withdraw from the war, mainly to spite Bush. It almost seemed like they wanted more soldiers to die so they could prove their point. He unaffiliated with the Democratic party in 2004.
Tommy Rock!
I've had the pleasure of knowing Tom since we were "First Years" in law school. He runs now for Congress in large part for the same reason as he's done all of the other acts of public service he's performed throughout his life: he sees something that is not performing as well as it could and he wants to do what he can to make it better.
There are better financed, better well-known candidates running for the Republican nomination in CD7 but if you're a voter in that District, invest a little time to get to learn more about Tom. Irrespective of your position vis-a-vis his on issues or your party affilation, you'll come away impressed by the man and the quality of his character.
Nice Try
"Traditional Conservative" wrote: "Why all of a sudden a GOP contender after all his adult life a liberal democrat?"
Nice try, "Traditional Conservative", nice try.
Tom Roughneen is about as liberal as Phil Gramm, Dick Shelby (both ex-Democrats who became Republican U.S. Senators) and Zell Miller (the Democrat U.S. Senator who addressed the 2004 Republican National Convention).
You probably forgot about Gramm, Shelby, Miller and Roughneen because, guess what, they are all more conservative than your good friend the liberal Kate Whitman.