NEWTON, NJ (OP-ED) – Steve Lonegan is at it again. This time, in Sparta. He is a candidate that hops from district to district each year, hoping to win an election, but never does.
Now, he’s packed up his political gypsy caravan and brought his show to the 24th legislative district, where he is attacking well-admired conservative Assemblyman Parker Space.
He’s also calling out Space’s conservative values in a shift that appears to send Lonegan into the same “ism” fish tank with the likes of AOC and the squad.
“His brand of Confederate-meme ‘conservatism’ will taint not only the good people of the 24th Legislative District but the entire Republican brand in New Jersey. North of the Mason-Dixon line, does anyone know of another elected Republican who wants the title ‘Senator’ who wraps himself in the Confederate flag the way Parker does? That kind of nonsense doesn’t fly anymore South of the Mason-Dixon line,” Lonegan said of Space today.
Space replied by reminding Lonegan that he is a loser.
Space laughed off the criticism by Lonegan, who has lost election after election bouncing around the state from district to district, trying to find a place where he can win.
Lonegan admitted Space has a winning record in politics but says it’s because he’s in a safe-space, another liberal term thrown out there by people like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
”Parker pretends to know what American conservatism and the conservative movement is all about. I’ve written a book about it. That’s one more than Parker read. The last congressional candidate he supported was liberal Democrat Josh Gottheimer – and he’ll answer for that before the Sussex County GOP Committee on March 9th,” Lonegan said.
Lonegan’s book “Putting Taxpayers First” has a 3.5 star rating on Amazon.
“Lonegan increased taxes 9 times as a mayor, he increased spending and debt, and took taxpayer bailouts from Trenton – in fact, begged Trenton Democrats for them in writing,” Space charged. “Nobody with a record like that is going to convince people in Sussex County and the 24th district that he’s a conservative. The last thing we need here is someone carpetbagging into the district and pretending he can speak for us or represent us.”
Lonegan is not expected to win the Sussex County GOP Primary.