Chris Myers

State Sen. John Adler raised about $550,000 for his 3rd District congressional race last quarter, according to a press release issued by his campaign.

That brings Adler’s total raised so far to $2.4 million, and he has $1.2 million on hand (early in the summer, Adler had $1.4 million on hand).

In the release, the Adler campaign tried to rub in their fundraising advantage in to Myers, noting that in September they received $9,000 from residents of Medford, where Myers is the mayor.

"The people who know Chris Myers best, the residents of Medford, are clearly fed up with Mayor Myers' tax-and-spend policies and are showing their displeasure by contributing their hard-earned money to John Adler,” said Adler Campaign Manager Mark Warren.

Third District Republican congressional candidate Chris Myers raised $369,224 last quarter and has $287,832 on hand, according to Campaign Manager Chris Russell.

That sum does not account for the likely large cash infusion that came from President George W. Bush’s visit to New Jersey last month to raise money for him and fellow Republican House candidate Leonard Lance. Although the fundraiser took place last quarter, the campaign did not receive its share of the proceeds until after September 30th.

Myers' total raised so far is just shy of the million dollar mark, at $995,773 – much of which he had to spend in his contentious primary against Ocean County Freeholder Jack Kelly.

Democratic rival John Adler’s campaign has not released their fundraising totals yet, but as of last quarter he had the largest war chest of any open seat challenger in the country, with $1.46 million on hand.

Former Massachusetts governor and presidential candidate Mitt Romney will hold a press conference with 3rd District Republican Congressional candidate Chris Myers tomorrow night.

The event will take place in downtown Medford at 5:30p.m., where Myers is the mayor. 
Romney is also holding a fundraiser for 7th District Congressional candidate Leonard Lance tomorrow.

Trying to get disentangled from a corruption trial narrative that has put Democrats on the run these last two weeks, state Sen. John Adler (D-Camden) trained his sights on the Republican-engineered Burlington County Bridge Commission scandal, and urged his GOP rival in the 3rd District Congressional race to demand a return of $2.7 million in taxpayer dollars pilfered during that more local example of government gone bad.

“When it comes to rooting out corruption in Burlington County, (Medford Mayor) Chris Myers is nowhere to be found," said Mark Warren, Adler's campaign manager. "His silence is deafening."

The Adler campaign charged that Myers has kept his mouth shut on the issue despite the conviction of a lobbyist who was found guilty of over-billing the commission by $2.7 million. The convicted lobbyist, Robert Stears, headed a Trenton lobbying firm in which Tom Wilson, chair of the state Republican Party, was also a partner.

Just before Medford Mayor Chris Myers announced that he planned to hold a press conference detailing State Sen. Adler’s receipt of money from a legislative slush fund, Adler acknowledged that he took some money from the Property Tax Assistance and Community Developments Grants program, but denied that the funds were used for pet projects or that he exerted any undue influence to get them.

“John Adler not only had no influence over the Property Tax Assistance and Community Development Fund, he did not know that two legislators had discretion over it. As he has since his election in 1991, Sen. Adler has fought for improvements in his district. These were not "pet projects" – again, the words of Chris Myers - but programs of importance to John Adler's constituents,” said Adler spokesman Mark Warren.

It is unclear for which specific projects those funds were used, and how much money Adler received.

On Friday, Republican Medford Mayor Chris Myers asked his Democratic 3rd District Congressional opponent, State Sen. John Adler, whether he ever received funds from a controversial legislative slush fund.

Frustrated at what he saw as a non-answer, Myers reiterated the question today.

“I called on John Adler to come clean on his potential involvement in this scam last week, and the silence was deafening,” said Myers in a press release today. “Adler owes the taxpayers of New Jersey – and in particular the 3rd Congressional District – an answer as to whether or not he was involved in this massive abuse of taxpayer dollars. A list of individual legislators – Democrat and Republican – who were involved in this scam, and the pet projects they funded should be released for public review immediately. The way politicians in Trenton abuse their power and our tax dollars is despicable and the ones involved should all be held to account immediately.”

Medford Mayor Chris Myers: Politicker file photoSeizing on a corruption trial newsflash, Medford Mayor Chris Myers tried to put flesh and bones on his repeated campaign trail depiction of 3rd Congressional District opponent state Sen. John Adler (D-Camden) as a Trenton hack.

In the trial of former Sen. Wayne Bryant (D-Camden), Senate Democratic Budget Officer George LeBlanc told jurors yesterday that in 2004 and 2005, legislators reached into a $40 million dedicated Property Tax Assistance and Community Development fund to fish out money for pet projects in their respective districts.

Today, Myers demanded that Adler "immediately and fully disclose whether he illegally controlled any taxpayer dollars from that fund, and if so, where he directed those dollars to be spent."

"This revelation of a huge secret trust fund, together with the obviously close relationship between Bryant and Adler raises serious red flags about Adler’s knowledge of, and participation in, this growing scandal of taxpayer abuse and self enrichment," Myers said.

The Adler campaign started running its first televison advertisement this morning on Philadelphia broadcast TV, according to Adler Campaign Manager Mark Warren.

"It is a biographical ad that introduces voters to John," Warren said of state Sen. John Adler (D-Camden).

The campaign’s foray into television comes with just over a month to go before Election Day. Warren said he is not aware of any television ads run by Adler’s Republican rival, Medford Mayor Chris Myers.

Sen. John Adler (D-Camden)In their ongoing war of words in the 3rd Congressional District, state Sen. John Adler (D-Camden) and Medford Mayor Chris Myers at least vigorously agreed that the partisanship needs to end.

Then each continued to wale on the other, blaming trickle down economics and bad government practices respectively as the source of the Wall Street financial crisis.

Characterizing the actions of a deadlocked U.S. Congress, Myers used the word "bickering" and Adler used "finger-pointing," as they stuck to their essential positions. Myers would have voted against the bailout package as it currently stands, while Adler - employing vaguer language - suggests he would have voted in the affirmative.Medford Mayor Chris Myers: Politicker file photo

"My problem with the legislation that failed in Congress today is that it apparently lacks any provision which would prevent unscrupulous lenders from turning around and using this $700 billion to go out and write more bad sub-prime loans," said Myers in a statement issued on Monday, parting company with U.S. Rep. Jim Saxton (R-Burlington).

Adler didn’t disagree that basic principles must be in place, but bemoaned Congress’ inability to take action on Monday’s bailout bill.

A Press of Atlantic City/Richard Stockton College poll of South Jersey voters shows Obama leading McCain by 9% in the region, while Democratic U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg leads Republican challenger Dick Zimmer.

The poll is the first non-partisan survey conducted of the 3rd Congressional District race, where State Sen. John Adler (D-Cherry Hill) is running neck-and-neck with Republican Medford Mayor Chris Myers.

Myers leads Adler 38.5% to 37.1% -- within the poll’s 4.5% margin of error.