Runyan Reaches 'Young Gun' Fundraising Status

The National Republican Congressional Committee, the House GOP’s fundraising arm, announced on Tuesday that Jon Runyan is now a Young Gun.

Runyan, a former NFL pro turned political rookie, will be positioned for a key assist from national Republicans in the already vicious contest with Democratic Rep. John Adler this fall. Young Gun status is the top tier of the NRCC’s Young Guns challenger recruitment program.

“Jon Runyan has put together a strong team and strong campaign infrastructure,” said NRCC spokesman Tory Mazzola in a phone interview.

Reaching top tier status is indicative of the NRCC leadership’s confidence Runyan will win back the traditionally Republican district, Mazzola added.

Though Runyan outraised Adler in the quarter ending June 30, Adler’s substantial fundraising head start left the freshman with $1.9 million to Runyan’s $472,000.

Neither campaign has disclosed their 3rd quarter results to date. Final 3rd quarter numbers must be filed to the Federal Election Commission by Sept. 30.

Runyan is now the only Republican challenger in New Jersey who has reached Young Gun status. Nationally he’s in the company of such GOP stars-in-the-making as Sean Duffy, a former MTV reality star who is running against longtime Rep. David R. Obey in Wisconsin’s 7th district.

Political observers widely expected the Adler-Runyan match-up to be the most hotly contested in the state. The race has turned negative relatively early.

On Monday, the Adler campaign attacked Runyan for comments he recently made describing how his concern over rising taxes helped motivate him to enter politics.

“Jon Runyan just confirmed that he’s running for Congress to protect his own personal wealth, which is why he opposed Wall Street reform and supported the bank bailout,” said Geoff Mackler, Adler’s campaign manager.

In turn, Runyan alleges that the Adler camp is promoting a fake Tea Party candidate to split the conservative vote. Several of Adler’s longtime supporters and one former campaign staffer signed petitions to get the candidate, Peter DeStefano, on the ballot.

Area Tea Party groups have joined in the allegations and have denounced DeStefano as an Adler plant.

“Whatever they did — I know what I do, and I hold my head high about what I do,” Adler told the Courier-Post last week.

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