Embattled LD38 assembly candidate Anthony Cappola has issued a letter to the Secretary of State in order to ensure that any votes cast for him on November 3 will be counted. Alyana Alfaro, PolitickerNJ Read more
Embattled LD38 assembly candidate Anthony Cappola has issued a letter to the Secretary of State in order to ensure that any votes cast for him on November 3 will be counted. Alyana Alfaro, PolitickerNJ Read more
OCTOBER 23, 2015 LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2015, 1:21 AM
BY ALFRED P. DOBLIN
THE RECORD
THERE MUST be something in the soil, some remnant of the days of celery farms that affects politics in the 38th Legislative District, making state Assembly races toxic. In 2009, Democrats running for the Assembly in the 38th went ugly. This year, the Assembly race is ugly in so many ways it may redefine ugly.
Republican challengers Mark DiPisa and Anthony Cappola were hoping to unseat Democratic incumbents Tim Eustace and Joseph Lagana . The 38th is considered one of only a few competitive districts in New Jersey where neither Republicans nor Democrats have a gerrymandered advantage.
Things started going south when it became common knowledge that Cappola had written a book called “Outrageous” a decade ago. Cappola calls the book raunchy. That is not a fair description. Even calling it a book is a stretch. “Outrageous” is a badly spelled rant against almost every form of humanity.
Cappola says that he regrets the book and that it is not who he is today. He also claims his core campaign team knew all about the book before he became an official candidate. Meeting with The Record’s editorial board Tuesday, Cappola said his then-running mate knew about the book and its general content. He also said Assemblyman Jon Bramnick, the ranking Republican in the Assembly, knew about it as well. According to Cappola, Bergen County Republican Organization Chairman Bob Yudin was not informed at all.
Once the book and its contents became public knowledge, there was an outcry for Cappola to drop out of the race. Cappola says he called DiPisa, who almost hung up on him in disgust. DiPisa has a different recollection of events. He says that he never knew about the book and that he called Cappola and said either Cappola drops out of the race or he would.
To make this long story longer, there was a legal effort to replace Cappola on the ballot. Bramnick determined the costs of reprinting and resending already mailed ballots could be as high as $200,000 and there was no money for such an effort in one legislative district.
https://www.northjersey.com/opinion/ethical-bar-drops-lower-in-the-38th-district-1.1439556
Posted by Matt Rooney On October 16, 2015 11 Comments
By Matt Rooney | The Save Jersey Blog
It’s been a weird year for politics, Save Jerseyans. But as much as some things change, others things definitely do not. At all.
Let’s reflect briefly on the respective trajectories of two politicians: Bernie Sanders and Anthony Cappola.
Bernie is leading the Democrat field in New Hampshire and threatening Hillary Clinton in the other early states. The Left is fawning over him and treating the badly-worn and awkward New England socialist as some species sage for having regurgitated decades-old discredited ideas. “Incredibly charming” is just one of the many descriptions you’ll find on the liberal net.
Cappola (left) and Sanders (right)
Less charming? His 1972 essay for theVermont Freeman on the subject of gang rape fantasies. “A man goes home and masturbates his typical fantasy. A woman on her knees, a woman tied up, a woman abused,” Sanders opined. “A woman enjoys intercourse with her man — as she fantasizes being raped by 3 men simultaneously.”
Yikes! Yet Democrat reactions have ranged from total disinterest to verbal shrugs.
At least New Jersey Assembly candidate Cappola was trying to be funny in his online published book Outrageous, a tome chock full of allegedly racist, misogynistic, homophobic, and objectively strange “satire.” But his youthful incident of presumably isolated idiocy ended in a resignation from the LD38 ticket reportedly at the prompting of GOP officials, not a liberal blogger story complimenting his “charming” novel, and the collapse of what should’ve been the GOP’s top 2015 target based on the 2013 results has reopened Republican wounded inside and outside of Bergen County.
Quote of the Day: “I was asked to step down by the state Republicans and I did it because I am a team player. But, I did not want to do that, I wanted to fight. I stepped down and I thought it would just be over, but it is not over.” – Anthony Cappola
Anthony Cappola: ‘I Deserve to Be on this Ballot’
The last two weeks have been turbulent for Anthony Cappola. He was one of LD38’s Republican candidates, he was forced to step down from his position on the River Edge Council, made to drop out of the assembly race and told he would be replaced on the ballot with Fernando Alonso. Then, on Wednesday, he learned that the Bergen County Republican Organization dropped their petition to remove him from the ballot due to financial constraints. Now, he is trying to resuscitate his candidacy in a district that had initially been considered one of the most competitive in the state. Alyana Alfaro, PolitickerNJ Read more
North Jersey GOP candidate drops out of state race after book called ‘offensive garbage’
OCTOBER 1, 2015, 6:34 PM LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2015, 7:47 AM
BY JOHN C. ENSSLIN AND DUSTIN RACIOPPI
STAFF WRITERS |
THE RECORD
A Republican Assembly candidate, running in a competitive North Jersey district home to the most expensive legislative elections in the state, ended his campaign Thursday after a news report described his self-published book and its rampant racial and sexual slurs.
The candidate, Anthony Cappola, is also a councilman in River Edge and owner of a company that provides DJs for parties.
In 2003, Cappola self-published “Outrageous,” a book his running mate called “offensive garbage” on Thursday after its contents were made widely public.
The web site Politico New Jersey first reported details of the book Thursday along with Cappola’s statement that he was quitting the race.
“I’m sorry if I offended anyone and deeply regret what was written. I am not the same person I was 12 years ago, but I take responsibility for what I wrote and have chosen to bow out of the race,” Cappola said in a prepared statement released by his campaign manager.
The book is listed as out of print on Amazon and a check with local libraries found no copies available. The Record obtained a copy from sources who did so on the condition they not be identified.
MEET: DISTRICT 38 ASSEMBLY CANDIDATES
ANTHONY CAPPOLA & MARK DI PISA
BERGEN COUNTY FREEHOLDER CANDIDATES
JOHN D. MITCHELL, KENNETH TYBURCZY & DAISY ORTIZ-BERGER
ISN’T IT TIME YOU ACTUALLY MEET THE CANDIDATES AND FIND OUT WHAT THEY STAND FOR AND THE COMMITMENTS THEY MAKE TO YOU, THE VOTER, ON HOW THEY WILL BE GOOD STEWARDS OF YOUR HARD EARNED TAX MONEY?
HEAR THEIR VISION FOR A BETTER DISTRICT 38 AND BERGEN COUNTY
ASK YOUR QUESTIONS—BE THERE, KNOW BEFORE YOU VOTE
Tuesday September 15th at 7:00pm – 9:00pm
VFW 513 Veterans Pl, Hasbrouck Heights, NJ 07604